The Guardians of the Eternal Phoenix
by Eternal Blizzard
Summary: A new prophecy and the arrival of a mysterious character at Private Drive. The Magical world is shaken to the roots and the Phoenix rises to end the darkness. OC/Fleur/Tonks and Harry/Daphne. Main focus on OC/Tonks/Fleur.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"To the Boy-Who-Lived!" cheered , the Head of the Department of Mysteries, raising his glass of Firewhiskey.

"To the Boy-Who-Lived!" chorused his collegues.

The party was going on in full swing deep within the bowels of the Ministry of Magic. And why shouldn't it? After all the people had precious little to celebrate in the last few years, thanks to the bloke named Lord Voldemort.

"You know, I still can't believe its finally over!" exclaimed one the Unspeakables with a slight slur in his voice.

"Yeah, it still hasn't sinked in" agreed .

"Unbelievable! A one year old child defeating the most powerful Dark Lord of the century! How the hell did he do it?"

He never got his answer because at that moment the door of the room slammed open revealing a man who looked to be in his mid 40's, panting and out of breadth.

"Max!" exclaimed Mr. Hunt, "Where's the fire?"

"The Blue Phoenix has activated" panted Max.

Silence

Then the room was in an uproar.

"What! Are you sure? It has been inactive since it was discovered and that was 1500 years ago!"

"Positive! I was just in my office getting happily drunk when I heard a beeping sound. I realized that one of the prophecies must have activated. I opened the closet and found the device keyed to the Blue Phoenix beeping and glowing. At first I thought that I had to much firewhiskey but the I realized that it was real. Then I ran to inform you."

Mr. Hunt was silent for a minute, then said "Let's go!"

The Blue Phoenix was an interesting artifact. One day, about 1500 years ago, it appeared out of nowhere in the Hall of Prophecies. Much research has been done on it since that time but no head or tail could be determined about its origin or how and why it appeared in the Hall.

Secondly, the artifact was made of pure blue crystal and was of the shape of a phoenix with its wings spread wide and beak closed. The phoenix was intricately designed and looking at it closely one could make out each and every one of its feathers. This baffled the keepers of the Hall. Since the artifact appeared in the Hall of Prophecies they assumed that it was also a prophecy. But prophecies are recorded in glass balls and they appear in the Hall with the initials of the concerned parties written on it. But this…they just couldn't figure out what to make of it.

So they shifted the artifact to a vault and made a device keyed to it to inform them if it showed any type of activity. Years have passed and the keepers of the Hall have given up hope. The Blue Phoenix never showed any sign of activity.

Until today.

As Mr. Hunt opened the door of the vault, he found that the Blue Phoenix was glowing with a soft blue light.

"Max, is it safe to pick it up?"

"I believe so Director" Max answered nervously.

Not totally convinced , Mr. Hunt cast a few spells on the artifact. Finding no anomaly, he carefully picked it up and moved it to a nearby table. The Phoenix felt warm to his touch.

The rest of the Unspeakables stood surrounding the table with a mixture of apprehension, anticipation and excitement.

"Whatever happens here must not leave this room until I say so. Is that clear?" Mr. Hunt barked. Everyone nodded.

Suddenly the crystal began to glow more brightly, emitting pulsing blue light. Then its beak opened and a voice filled the room.

The Heir of the Guardian approaches….The Chosen shall be seeked…..The Dark Lord shall rise…A great tragedy shall strike…..The Shifter and the Veela shall play their part….And from the ashes The Phoenix shall rise….. The Heir of the Guardian approaches…

The phoenix then glowed blindingly. Slowly the light began to take shape and moments later formed the exact replica of the artifact. The glow emitting from it cast a warm and comforting sensation among everyone. The glow then intensified even more and everyone in the room shielded their eyes.

Soon the glow subsided and everyone opened their eyes to find a majestic pure white phoenix with blue highlights on its feathers perched on the table. The phoenix seemed to be observing the people standing around it. Then it disappeared in a flash of blue flame.

Pindrop silence followed the ominous pronouncement and the appearance of the majestic phoenix. Pure white phoenixes were supposed to be myths.

"What does this mean, Director?" Max asked, breaking the silence.

Mr. Hunt appeared to be deep in thought. After a while he answered,

"It means that dark times are not yet over"


	2. Arrival at Privet Drive

**Chapter 2: Arrival at Private Drive**

**9 years later**

On a scale of 1 to 10, Private Drive would rate 10 in terms of averageness according to its residents, especially one Mr. Vernon Dursley. Apparently! But deep within his heart and his home, he hid an 'abnormal' secret and it was his greatest fear that someday his 'normal' neighbours would find out his secret.

This secret was often the cause of his bad mood or anger. As was today.

Vernon Dursley seethed as he locked his secret in the cupboard under the stairs, ordered his wife not to let it out before noon and stomped towards his garage. He cursed under his breadthfor having the bad luck of ending up with the 'abnormality' 9 years ago.

_**Flashback **_

_**Vernon Dursley was a big beefy man who looked like an overgrown pig with an enormous walrus mustache. He had a wife, beautiful in his opinion, and a 2 year old son who looked like his duplicate, except the mustache, even at this young age.**_

_**It was the morning after Halloween's Eve and Vernon was extremely happy, more so than usual, because he was promoted yesterday and today was his first day in his new position. His wife was giddy with pride and happiness at the news and therefore, he expected to wake up to the kiss of his wife, not her scream.**_

_**Vernon hastily got out of bed and rushed towards the source of the scream. Taking the stairs two at a time, which was quite a feat given his size, and almost falling over in the process, he skidded to a halt behind his wife, who was standing stock still at the open doorway.**_

"_**What's the matter Petunia?", Vernon panted, nearly doubling over.**_

_**Petunia seemed unable to answer and merely pointed at the front steps of the doorway. There, lying on the front steps was a baby in a basket with a letter poking out from the side.**_

"_**Who the hell left a baby at our doorstep?" shouted Vernon.**_

"_**The letter" Petunia replied faintly.**_

_**Vernon bent down and picked up the letter. The paper was not of the normal kind…it appeared to be thicker and rougher. Recognition flared in Petunia's eyes and it seemed to widen. Vernon, noticing this, asked," What's the matter Petunia?"**_

_**Petunia merely shook her head. Vernon shrugged and began to read the letter. As he read, his eyes seemed to widen with each line and the color of his face changed to red to purple at an alarming rate. By the end of the letter, Vernon was shaking with barely suppressed rage and looking at the baby with hatred.**_

"_**What is it, Vernon?"**_

_**Merely holding out the letter to Petunia, Vernon continued to stare at the baby. If looks could kill, the baby would have been dead.**_

_**Petunia took the letter and started to read.**_

_**Dear Petunia**_

_**It is with great regret that I must inform you of the death of your sister, Lily, and her husband, James on 31**__**st**__** October ,1981. As you may be aware, the wizarding world was at war with the forces of an evil Dark Lord, Voldemort. Unfortunately, Lily and James were a thorn in his side and were murdered by him on the night of Halloween.**_

_**He also tried to kill Harry, but was miraculously defeated and fled. However he will return. But even now his followers are on the lookout for Harry and anyone related to the Potters, including you family.**_

_**Therefore, it is my request that you let Harry live in your house and take care of him. I have erected some protections around your house which are tied to the protections given to Harry by Lily. As long as Harry calls your house his home, he and your family will remain protected and safe.**_

_**Yours sincerely**_

_**Albus Dumbledore**_

"_**Vernon, this is Lily's son"**_

"_**Yes Petunia, it is your freak sister and her worthless freak husband's son, who I have no doubt is also a freak. No way we are keeping him here. Let me get the car, we can dump him outside some orphanage"**_

"_**No Vernon, we must keep him", Petunia said tonelessly.**_

"_**WHAT! Petunia are you mad? How can you talk of keeping a freak in the house?", sputtered Vernon.**_

"_**Do ypu think I like it?", snapped Petunia, "He is a reminder of my worthless and abnormal sister. But it is for our own safety. I know what their kind can do"**_

_**Vernon paled at the implication. Then grumbled, "Fine! Bring him in" and stomped towards the kitchen.**_

_**End Flashback **_

This was Vernon's greatest secret, his 10 year old nephew, Harry James Potter. Oh, how he hated that boy with his messy & untamable jet black hair, his freakish lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and all the other abnormalities of his kind. Weird things always seem to happen around him.

Take today for example. He had cut the boy's hair yesterday and this morning it had grown back to its original length.

Mr. Dursley continued to grumble as he drove out of No. 4. He was a little distracted with his musings, so he missed the fact that a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere a short distance down the road. It was not until the figure raised his hand and motioned to stop the car, that Mr. Dursley noticed.

Cursing under his breadth about hitchhikers, Mr. Dursley pulled the car to a stop beside the figure. The figure turned out to be a boy in his mid-teens. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and tight fitting black jeans. His face was oval shaped. He had slightly tanned skin and his hair was slightly long and midnight black in color. But the most prominent part of his face were his almond shaped eyes which were adorned by light blue orbs. They seemed to sparkle with warmth but at the same time seem to judge your very soul.

"What do you want?", grunted Mr. Dursley, "You don't seem to be from around here"

The boy smiled, "That would be because I am not. I am just moving in this neighbourhood today. The reason I stopped you is because I am in need of some directions. Do you happen to know where No. 10 is?"

"Do you know how to read?"

The boy nodded.

"Then read the numbers on the signs at gates and follow the sequence. Stop wasting the time of us hardworking people", snapped Mr. Dursley.

The boy face-palmed, "Ah! My mistake. Sorry to bother you, sir. By the way, my name is Drake Jones. He extended his hand.

"Vernon Dursley", grunted Mr. Dursley, not taking his hand, and drove away.

"Charming personality", chuckled Drake. "So this is Vernon Dursley. He seems to be even more unpleasant up close." He shook his head and kept walking.

_**A/N: I do not own any of the canon characters. However the non-canon characters and story are mine.**_

_**This is a shortish chapter. The next one may be along one. Enjoy!**_


	3. Introductions and Plans

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

**Chapter 3: Introductions and Plans**

Private Drive had one problem, all the houses looked almost the same and the only distinguishing feature was the number plate beside the gate, thought Drake, as he came to a halt outside the gate of No.10. Drake walked across the lawn along the gravely path until he was halfway down the path. He looked around warily, looking for people who might be watching him. Finding no one, he grinned and raised his hand skywards. A bright yellow ball of energy suddenly appeared in his hand, crackling madly. The ball of energy then flew upwards into the sky and began to spread like melting chocolate across a cake, until it covered the entire plot of No.10. The yellow film of energy then turned transparent and disappeared from view. Satisfied with himself, Drake crossed the remaining path and went inside the house.

The house had two rooms on the ground floor and four on the first floor. Drake decided to turn one of the rooms on the lower floor to kitchen cum dining room and the other to living room. For now he would need only two of the rooms on the top floor, one for bedroom and the other for training purposes.

All the rooms appeared to be painted recently but with a sickly green color. Whoever painted the house had horrible taste, thought Drake, grimacing slightly. He waved his hand and all walls turned to a soft blue color. He walked into the rooms on the lower floor and began conjuring the necessary furniture and accessories. He then proceeded to his would be bedroom and took out some items from his jeans pocket. He enlarged them and soon the room sported a comfy queen sized bed, a mahogany wardrobe and a writing table and chair. He waved his hand once more and the color of the walls changed to a darker shade of blue while the roof changed to a soothing white color. Satisfied with his handiwork, Drake got into bed and fell asleep within moments.

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It was well past noon when drake woke up. He stumbled groggily to the bathroom for a shower. A few minutes later as he stood by the window toweling his hair, he saw his target walking down the street. His target appeared to be a thin, scrawny kid and was impossibly small for his age, or maybe it was due to the fact that he was wearing clothes that were too large for him.

Drake quickly got dressed up and was about to close the gate when he felt someone coming to a halt behind him. He turned around to find an extremely fat kid with sandy blonde hair staring at him.

"Excuse me, but is your name Drake Jones?"

"Yes…" Drake had a hunch about who he was related to and sure enough…

"My name is Dudley Dursley and my mum told me to invite you over to tea at our house at around 7 this evening."

Drake smiled,"Sure I will be there. Now if you will excuse me…" And without another word, Drake walked off in the direction in which he had seen his target go earlier.

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Drake stood at the entrance of a deserted children's park that appeared to be the victim of vandalism. Half the swings were broken and empty drinks bottles and pieces of cigarettes littered the ground.

Drake looked around and spotted his target sitting in the shade of a tree. He walked over to him until he was standing a few paces behind him. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"Excuse me, may I sit beside you?"

His target looked up and looked at him with emerald green orbs. "Sure"

Drake smiled brightly and plopped himself on the ground beside his target. "Hello, my name is Drake Jones. I just moved into Private Drive today."

His target gave a small smile. "Harry Potter. Welcome to the neighbourhood."

"So Harry, where do you live?", Drake asked, although he knew the answer, since it was part of his mission briefing.

"No.4 Private Drive"

"Just out of curiosity, what are you doing in the park at this time of the day. Its scorching outside. Shouldn't you be inside your house, drinking lemonade or something?"

Harry snorted. "Yeah, sure" , he muttered sarcastically. " Apparently some guests are coming over to our house for evening tea and my aunt needed me out of the house so she could properly make preparations for the evening.

Drake was a little amused that the Dursleys seem to have assumed that he would not refuse their invitation since Harry was out in the streets before he was invited. 'How correct they were', thought Drake. "So would you like to meet the guest?"

"No thanks. I have no interest in meeting some obnoxious guest of my uncle."

" You wound me Harry. You think I am obnoxious?" Drake teased.

Harry's eyes widened and he started stuttering,"S-sorry I-I didn't mean to insult you. I-I had no idea…."

"Relax Harry, I was only teasing." Drake laughed.

Harry visibly relaxed. "So you are our guest"

"The one and only" Drake looked thoughtful for a minute, then asked,"I understand you are to stay out of your house. So why didn't you go over to one of your friend's house?"

Harry looked down sadly, "I don't have any"

To say Drake was surprised, would be an understatement. "You seem to be very polite and quite nice to talk to. Why don't you have any friends?"

" I had a few at school until my cousin and his gang scared them away" Harry did not seem to want to elaborate.

"Would you be my friend?"

Harry seemed to be shocked that someone wanted to be his friend. Then his expression turned skeptical, "I don't know…My relatives may cause problems for you if they find out that I am your friend. I don't want to cause trouble for you."

"It would be no trouble. I am a big boy, I can take care of myself."

"But why? Why would you want to be my friend? Is it pity?"

Drake was extremely saddened by the total lack of self-confidence in Harry. 'What has those Muggles done?' Drake seethed internally.

"No, no, its not out of pity. I am new here and I have no friends. I liked talking to you and therefore would like to become your friend. Didn't you like talking to me?"

"No, no, it's not that. After Dudley scared them away, no one wanted to be my friend anymore. So I was just curious. Of course I would like to be your friend."

Drake beamed and extended his hand, "Friends?"

"Friends", grinned Harry, taking his hand and suddenly very happy.

"So, why don't you come over to my house for a cup of tea."

"Sure!"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Drake handed Harry his cup of tea before taking his seat on the couch opposite to Harry. They were currently in Drake's living room. Harry couldn't help but admire Drake's taste. The room was sparsely furnished with a pair of couches, a table and a showcase in which a few intricately designed china pieces were on display. Overall, the room had a calming and homely touch to it.

"Tell me about you, Harry", Drake asked, taking a sip from his cup.

"As you already know, I live with my uncle , aunty and cousin since my parents died. My relatives don't like me much. Um…, that's me in a nutshell" Harry looked a bit uncomfortable. Drake sensed that Harry was probably downplaying things but decided to let it go.

"What about your parents? Do you remember them?"

"No", Harry replied sadly."I was one year old when they died. My relatives don't have any pictures of them. My aunt said that they died in a car accident because they were drunk." Harry looked down at his feet. Drake bristled in anger. 'Those filthy people' , he raged internally.

"Do you believe her?" Drake asked quietly.

"What?" Harry said, looking up.

"Do you believe your aunt?"

Harry looked conflicted. "I don't know. I don't want to believe them and sometimes I feel that she had lied to me. But then again, why would she lie about her own sister?"

"Harry, your parents did not die in a car accident nor were they drunk." Drake said with conviction.

"How can you be so sure? Did you know my parents?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Not personally, but yes, I know about them. They were very good people, Harry. But before I tell you more, tell me, has anything strange ever happened around you? Don't be hasty. Think on it for sometime before you answer."

Harry was glad that whatever his aunt told him was a lie. But was what Drake told him, the truth? He wanted to believe so. Harry was also a little surprised by the question. He quietly pondered over it as Drake waited patiently.

"I have never really given it much thought before, but now that you mentioned it, yeah, strange things always seem to happen around me. One time, Dudley and his gang cornered me at school and I was desperately looking for a way out. The very next moment, I found myself on the roof of the school. Then yesterday, my uncle cut my hair so short that I was almost bald. I was mortified and lay awake nearly all night thinking about next day when I would surely turn into a laughing stock for the neighbourhood. Today morning, I found my hair was back to its original length. My uncle got very angry at that."

Drake was smiling widely. Noticing this, harry lifted an eyebrow, "You seem to have been expecting this."

Drake shook his head, smiling. "No, I was not expecting this. I knew this."

Harry was puzzled. "You knew this? How?"

"Harry, you are not a normal kid."

For some reason, this seemed to anger Harry. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Like my relatives don't remind me enough already."

Drake seemed unfazed by this outburst. "That's because they know about your talent and they are afraid and somewhat jealous of you. Harry, you are a wizard and the strange things that happen around you is magic."

Harry was dumbstruck and his mouth fell open. A few minutes later, he stammered, "But my uncle said there is no such thing as magic."

"Like I said, he knows and he is jealous and afraid.

Harry was having a hard time believing it. "Are you a wizard too?"

Drake thought about what to say for a moment before nodding. As a demonstration, he waved his hand and made his teacup float in the air. Harry's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Cool!"

Drake couldn't help but laugh. Harry sported the expression of a kid who had just found out that he owned a candy store on his face. "I take it that you like what you saw?"

"Absolutely" , Harry said excitedly. "Can I do it too?"

"Sure, but with training."

"Will you train me?" Harry blurted out hopefully.

Drake smiled inwardly. Everything was going according to plan. Outwardly, his face wore a thoughtful expression. " I don't know. This sort of things should best be left to professionals. Besides you will need a wand to do this sort of things."

"But you didn't use a wand." Harry argued.

"Yeah, but I have been doing this for quite sometime unlike you." Seeing the depressed look on Harry, Drake added, "But I think I can teach you somethings that don't require a wand."

Harry's mood lifted considerably at this. "So when are you going to teach me magic?"

"Who said I am going to teach you magic?" Harry looked confused. "Ok, the first part is sort of magic but the rest are not exactly magic but you will find them immensely helpful in learning magic when you go to Hogwarts."

"What's Hogwarts?"

"Oh sorry, it's the magic school you will be attending when you turn 11."

"What is it like?" Harry was curious.

"I don't know. I have never attended Hogwarts."

Harry frowned. "Then where did you learn magic?"

"Private tuitions." Drake said shortly.

"Oh! So what will you be teaching me?"

"Before I tell you, you have to promise that you will not tell the Dursleys or anyone for that matter, that you know me, until I say so."

"Afraid of them are you?" Harry teased.

Drake rolled his eyes as if to say 'Please!'

Harry chuckled. "Sure, I promise. But may I know why?"

Drake grinned mischeviously. "Let's just say it's revenge. They kept your true identity from you. You now get to keep our friendship secret from them."

Harry nodded, also grinning.

"Ok, now the first thing I will be teaching you is called Occlumency"

"Occlu-what?"

"Occlumency or mind protection magic. It will help you to concentrate and also help in keeping your emotions in check. It also helps to protect one's mind from unwanted invasions." Harry looked alarmed. "Relax, it won't happen in this world. But it occurs quite frequently in the magical world."

Harry nodded, not liking what he was hearing but glad that would be learning this occlu-thingy to protect himself. "What are the other things you will teach?"

"I will tell you after you master Occlumency." Harry nodded in agreement.

"Ok, now we have to decide how and when you will receive training." Drake said thoughtfully. Then suddenly his eyes lit up. He waved his hand and out of nowhere a ring appeared. Drake waved his hand again, making some complex signs in the air, and the ring briefly glowed bright blue. He handed the ring to Harry.

Harry took the ring, awed by the brilliant display of magic, and saw that it was a simple, yet elegant silver ring with a phoenix etched on its surface.

"Always wear that ring, Harry. It's a modified portkey, a type of magical transportation. Nobody except you will be able to see or touch that ring. Whenever you are alone and feel that it's safe to come here, rub the ring and say 'phoenix'. If I am free at that moment, you will be transported to the training room." Drake pointed at one of the rooms on the upper floor. "But remember, nobody, and by that I mean nobody, should know about us and this training. You may wonder why and in time I will tell you, but not now. But trust me, one day you will be grateful for it."

Harry frowned at the cryptic explanation but shrugged. He put on his ring. His eyes then fell on his wrist watch and he gasped. It was almost 4 o' clock in the afternoon. " Sorry, but I have to go"

"Yeah sure. Oh, the next time you are here, I will tell you about your parents. Give me a day or two to arrange things for your training and then we will start."

Harry nodded gratefully. "Thanks Drake, for the tea…and everything." He then left, leaving a satisfied Drake behind. A small smile was playing on Drake's lips.


	4. Tonks and Training

**Tonks and Training**

Drake lay awake late into the night, thinking over the things that had happened over the course of the day. He was making a mental note of the things he had accomplished so far and the things he still had to accomplish in the near future.

'Ok, so let's see what I have achieved: successfully arrived at Privet Drive, made friends with Harry, setup a training program, acquired knowledge about his relatives.'

Drake grimaced at the last point. To say that he was disgusted and beyond angry with the Dursleys would be an understatement. Evening tea with the Dursleys was an informative encounter. From what little he had heard about them from Harry, he had guessed that they disliked him and his heritage. But now he was almost sure that the Dursleys didn't dislike Harry, they outright hated him. He would not be surprised if this hate had progressed from mental level to the physical level. Drake made a mental note to have a _talk_ with Dumbledore sometime in the future. If this was his idea of _protection_, then the old man was seriously in need of a break, a long break.

Shaking himself from this depressing line of thought, he focused on his future plans. 'First things first, I have to visit Gringotts soon, probably tomorrow. Next I need a wand. Although it was not needed, but it would prove useful to hide my true potential. Next, I have to get some books on Occlumency. Finally, I need a job.'

'What job to get?' Drake thought. 'I have no formal degrees, so Ministry jobs are out of the question. Anyway, who wants to work under corrupt Ministry officials. So, I have to find some job that do not require any degrees. Also it should be a good source of information about the current affairs of the magical world. It would prove useful for my mission.'

Deciding to call it a day (or night, in this case), Drake drifted away into a dreamless sleep. If anybody was outside his house at that moment, they would have heard a beautiful trilling sound drifting through the open window of Drake's bedroom.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Drake had never been what one would call a morning person. So it was a highly groggy Drake who stumbled out of his room at 6 am the next day. Although he hated it, jogging and exercises were necessary to stay in shape. Besides, he wanted to go to Diagon Alley as early as possible. He wanted to avoid its crowded state since he hated crowds.

Drake put on a tight-fitting t-shirt and track pants and went out for a morning jog around Privet Drive. The houses of Privet Drive were just beginning to show signs of life. Drake jogged at a steady pace enjoying the cool morning air. It was rejuvenating and filled him with energy. Soon he reached the park and started doing some free-hand exercises.

By the time he returned to his home, it was nearly 8 am. After a quick shower and breakfast, Drake quickly donned a simple yellow colored shirt and black fullpants. Then he touched his forehead with the forefinger and middle finger of his right hand and vanished.

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_Meanwhile, in a small house in a London suburb:_

"Nymphadora Tonks, will you kindly get down this instant! We are getting late and I still have to go to work later" The irate voice of a woman rang through the house.

The girl in question winced at the voice. She was in her room _getting ready_, a feat she had been trying to achieve for the past one hour. 'I wish mom would stop using my stupid name', thought Nymphadora angrily. 'Nymphadora! Really? What in nine hells caused my mother to bless me with this ridiculous name?' She stared at her reflection in the mirror, scowling. Whether it was from her mother's use of her name or from being unable to decide on the perfect look for the day, was unclear, though at the present time one could hazard a guess that it was mostly due to the use of her name. Presently, she scrunched up her face in a pained expression and her hair began to cycle through various colors and shape-blonde and shoulder length (Nah! Too common.), purple and shoulder length with curls at the end (Cool, but already used it yesterday), lightning blue, short and sporting spikes (Wow! I look like some goddess of lightning! Cool!). Apparently satisfied with her hair, she turned her attention to her eyes. She decided to keep it cool ice blue which she felt went well along with her hair and her pale heart shaped face. Satisfied with her look, she bounced out of her room wearing a purple Weird Sister t-shirt and a pair of frayed and faded blue jeans. A pair of Nike sports shoes completed the look.

"Finally! Thank you for blessing us mere mortals with your presence!" , said an irritated looking woman who was standing at the foot of the stairs, tapping her foot impatiently.

A cheeky answer was almost on her lips before Nymphadora bit it back reluctantly. She felt that it would not be wise to provoke her mother's temper further this early in the day. So, she apologized for her tardiness and grabbing a piece of toast from the table, made her way to the fireplace. She took a handful of green powder from a pot on the mantle( called Floo powder) and threw it into the fire. The color roared an emerald green color. Stepping into the fire, Nymphadora shouted "Diagon Alley" before vanishing from view. She was shortly followed by her mother.

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Nymphadora stumbled out of the fireplace in Leaky Cauldron. She got a brief glimpse of the bar, the barkeeper Tom entertaining numerous customers before she tripped on seemingly nothing and fell flat on her face. 'Just great! Me and my bloody clumsiness!' Nymphadora thought furiously as the whole bar roared with laughter at her plight. Her clumsiness had always been a constant source of embarrassment for her. She mostly took it sportingly and laughed along with the others but it still hurt sometimes for being a laughing stock for a problem that was just a side-effect of her special skill and obviously not under her control. Like it was hurting now, not only physically but also emotionally. That was until she heard someone speak.

"Miss, are you hurt?" asked a voice laced with concern.

Nymphadora looked up from her position and her icy blue eyes were met with light blue ones. Slowly her eyes took in the rest of his handsome oval shaped face. He looked to be a boy around her age and appeared to be one of the customers of the bar. But while the other occupants of the room were still chuckling with mirth, his face was scrunched up in a slight frown and his eyes showed only concern.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you", Nymphadora smiled as she took his proffered hand to help herself up.

"Good! I saw you fall down and you did not seem to be getting up, so I thought that you must have been hurt." The boy said still sounding concerned but also slightly relieved.

'You don't know how right you are', thought Nymphadora.

"No, no, it was nothing, it happens to me all the time", she said cheerfully, though it sounded slightly forced.

The boy seemed to perceive the forced nature but didn't comment on it. At that moment, the fire roared again and a regal looking woman wearing black robes stepped out of it.

"Well, I must be getting along. Have a nice day , Miss." He smiled. "And do try to be careful. I may not always be there to help you." He added, grinning cheekily at her over his shoulder as he exited the bar.

A slight blush crept up on her face inspite of herself. "Who was the boy, Nymphadora?" The voice of her mother made her aware of her arrival. At that moment realization hit her, she hadn't asked him his name nor had she introduced herself. 'So much for manners, Nymphadora', she thought.

"I don't know mom. I forgot to ask him", she said, pushing aside the uneasiness caused by her name.

"Did you atleast introduce yourself? From what little I heard, he appeared to have helped you in some fashion." her mother asked sternly.

Nymphadora winced at her mother's tone. "No mom"

"Really Nymphadora! Have you forgotten all your manners?" her mother asked. "Ah well! If you meet him again make sure to introduce yourself. Now let's hurry, we have much shopping to do." Nymphadora nodded and followed her mother out of the bar.

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Diagon Alley was the only magical market apart from the infamous Knockturn Alley, which incidentally was also an offshoot of Diagon Alley, in London. It was filled with restaurants, shops selling potions, pets and practically everything magical. However that was not all about it. Diagon Alley also housed Gringotts, the magical bank run by goblins, which held the fortune of thousands of witches and wizards living all over England. The imposing pure white building was sort of a landmark in Diagon Alley. A set of double doors led to the lobby of the bank. A sign, warning potential thieves of dire consequences of thievery, was etched in golden letters on the door. The lobby housed dozens of goblin tellers, each catering to the needs of various customers.

It was one of these numerous tellers, in front of whom Nymphadora stood presently, impatiently shifting her weight from one leg to another while she waited for her mother to finish her negotiations with the goblin. She gazed around observing long queues of magical folk in front of some tellers. She also noticed several people waiting for their turn, wearing glum early morning looks, sitting on the various benches laid out along the walls. However, mindless observation of people and goblins going about their routine jobs was hardly the purpose of her staring around. 'Ok, at least not all of it' Nymphadora corrected herself. True, she was bored, but she also hoped to get a glimpse of her boyfriend who had just started working at Gringotts.

Her boyfriend. In the past year, he had become the constant source of her excitement and annoyance. Excitement of the fact that he was quite handsome. 'With his flaming red hair tied in a ponytail and his toned figure, he looked quite dashing and yummy.', Nymphadora thought with a blush. The fact that he didn't view her differently because of her skill was an added bonus. Of course, her mother disagreed with her. This had become a constant source of annoyance. Her mother did not like her boyfriend. She firmly believed that he was just like the rest and only wanted her daughter because of her ability to change her appearance at will. Nymphadora had of course tried to assure her mother that it was not so. During the one year that they had been dating, he had never asked her to change. 'Ok, there was that one time when he asked her to change her hair color and then there was that other time when he had asked her to change the shape of her nose', Nymphadora admitted grudgingly to herself. 'But it was not such a big deal. After all, she herself changed those features almost on a regular basis', she argued fiercely with her more logical mental counterpart. 'Also it didn't hurt that he knew how to please me. Sure we haven't gone all the way, but still….', she thought, fighting off another blush.

It was during these observations and less than appropriate thoughts that her eyes fell on a boy talking to a goblin a short distance away. It was the same boy who had helped her earlier. He seemed to be talking to the goblin in a strange language and even more surprising was the fact that the goblin was talking to him respectfully with a smile on its face, a phenomenon which had never been encountered by any wizard in living memory. 'Who is that boy?', thought Nymphadora. 'He looks to be about the same age as me. In fact he may even be a few years younger than me.'

While all these thoughts were coursing through her mind, she had not realized that she had been staring at the boy for quite sometime. So unsurprisingly, when he turned around, their eyes met. He smiled at her and nodded in recognition before walking away towards the carts. Nymphadora came out of her momentary stupor and cursed herself for ruining another chance to know the boy's name. Also unbeknownst to her , her cheeks had taken on a slight pink tinge.

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"Mom, would you please stop calling me _Nymphadora_, at least in public places. You know how I hate that name", Nymphadora complained loudly as they entered Madam Malkin's shop for her school robes.

"But dear, it's such a lovely name. And how would it sound if your own mother calls you by your surname?"

"I don't know. I just don't like it.", Nymphadora grumbled.

"Hogwarts dear?" the voice of a plump woman interrupted their argument.

"Yes. I would like to buy two sets of school robes and two sets of formal dress robes for Nymphadora", her mother told Madam Malkin.

"Such a lovely name!", exclaimed Madam Malkin, while Nymphadora scowled at her mother.

"How much time would it take for you to select your robes?" her mother asked.

"Half hour, I think", Nymphadora replied, not looking at her mother.

Her mother sighed. "Ok, I would finish the rest of our shopping. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron when you are done here."

Nymphadora nodded absentmindedly.

As soon as her mother left the shop, she let out a frustrated sigh. It was of no use. No matter how many times she told her mother , she would still call her by that stupid name. She went from rack to rack, choosing and discarding robes whole muttering about stubborn mothers and stupid names. She was so lost in her complaining that she did not register neither the opening of the door of the shop nor Madam Malkin speaking to a new customer. Until…

"I take it that you don't like your given name", someone said from behind her.

Nymphadora, startled out of her thoughts, spun around, tripped and fell over again. She closed her eyes and braced herself for hitting the floor but it never came. Instead, she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a pair of light blue eyes.

The boy to whom those eyes and arms belonged, smiled at her and Nymphadora found herself blushing, _again_. 'Damn it! I am blushing a little too much today', she thought furiously.

The boy helped her regain her footing and bowed exagguratingly before her. "Your savior at your service, my lady." There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Nymphadora burst out laughing. "Why, thank you good sir."

The boy laughed a little himself."Anyway, where are my manners? My name is Drake Jones. Pleased to meet you."

"Tonks. And same here."

Drake arched an eyebrow. "Hmm, I realized from your mutterings that you don't like your name. If you don't mind, may I know why, Miss Tonks?"

"You would too if your fool of a mother named you _Nymphadora_"

"It's quite a beautiful name. Hmm, but for some reason, you don't like people calling you by it." Drake looked thoughtful.

"And you would refrain from using it too, if you know what's good for you." Tonks warned, her eyes narrowing menacingly.

"Wouldn't dream of it. No, I was wondering, if you don't like it, why haven't you ever done something about it?"

"What can I do? It's not like I can change my name. I just threaten to hex and sometimes really hex people who call me by my name."

Drake nodded, before a smile broke out on his face. "Do you like pranking people?"

"Wha-?" Tonks said dumbly, a little thrown off by this sudden change of topic.

"I asked 'Do you like pranking people?' You know, as in pulling practical jokes on people and such"

"Oh! I love it! I am after all the best prankster at school" Tonks proclaimed proudly, puffing out her chest.

Drake chuckled at her antics. "Great! So would you like to pull a massive prank on a number of people?"

"What sort of prank?" Tonks asked, a little wary but also a little excited.

"To begin with we will be making your name a taboo. So if anyone calls you by your name without your permission….Well, let's just say that they will feel the effects of a mild stinging hex in certain regions of their body which are not usually publicly displayed." Drake said, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

Tonks' eyes lit up at the prospect and her hair color changed to bright bubblegum pink indicating her happiness and excitement.

"A Metamorphmagus!" Drake muttered softly.

"What?"Tonks asked, evidently not having caught what Drake said.

"You are a Metamorphmagus"

"I know I am. What of it?" Tonks asked a little defensively.

"Nothing bad. I can now relate what you said back at the bar about frequently falling over. I take it that it's due to this skill of yours"

"Yes, it is. Speaking of which, thanks again for your help back there.", Tonks said sincerely.

"You are welcome. Now shall we finish our shopping and discuss our prank elsewhere, preferably over a cup of tea?" Drake said, grinning.

"Sure!"

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at a table in a coffee shop across the street from Madam Malkin's.

"So, how do I go about pulling the prank?" Tonks asked excitedly, practically bouncing in her seat.

"I'll teach you how only if you promise never to include your parents in it. I met your mother outside Madam Malkin's shop. She seemed to be a nice and caring lady."

Tonks sighed. She was feeling guilty about being short with her mother earlier. "Yeah sure, I promise."

"Great!" Drake exclaimed, rubbing his hand excitedly. He wandlessly conjured a piece of parchment , a bottle of ink and a quill and began to write something.

Tonks looked on with a gobsmacked expression. Wandless magic was nearly unheard of. In her life, she had seen only Dumbledore perform it effortlessly. Yet this boy, who looked to be about her age, had done it with ease. It looked as if it was second nature to him.

Drake finished writing and looked up to find Tonks staring intently at him. "What?" Drake asked, a little puzzled.

"You performed wandless magic" Tonks stated in an awed voice.

"Yeah. So what?"

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen"

Tonks nearly choked on her tea. "F-fifteen? And you can perform wandless magic? Wow!"

Drake shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable, and gave the parchment to her. Tonks took it and saw three lines of incantation written on it.

"The top one is for setting up the taboo, the second one is for granting someone permission and the last one is for reversing the effect of the second one." Drake explained.

"Cool!" Tonks exclaimed cheerfully and pulled out her wand. Drake raised an eyebrow at this. Understanding the look, Tonks assured, "Relax! I came of age a few months ago." Drake nodded and Tonks began chanting the incantation. Moments later, she was briefly surrounded by a reddish glow. "Is it done?" she asked uncertainly. Drake smiled widely and nodded.

Tonks' eyes took on a mischievous glint as she looked at Drake. "Now all we need is someone to test it on."

Understanding the look, Drake raised his hands defensively. "Oh no, no, no. No way am I going to be your test subject. Find someone else ."

"Spoilsport!" pouted Tonks. Then her eyes lit up as she apparently spotted something behind Drake. Drake looked behind him and saw a redheaded figure approaching them. As the man reached their table, Tonks got up and threw herself in his arms and proceeded to kiss him passionately. "I have missed you."

"I missed you too, Tonks", the man said.

"Ah! Call me by my name." Tonks said while discreetly winking at Drake. 'This is going to be fun.' Drake thought.

The man looked startled. "You want me to call you by your name? I thought you hated it?"

"Not anymore. Pleaseeee!" Tonks said, making puppy dog eyes at the man.

" Ok, Nymphadora-YIKES!" The man jumped a foot in the air as a sudden stinging sensation shot through his private regions. Tonks was rolling on the ground laughing hysterically and in turn drawing some curious glances from passerbys. Drake was also laughing, though in a much more dignified manner.

"What the hell was that? And who is he?" the man asked, evidently only now having noticed Drake.

"Well with the help of Drake" Tonks pointed at Drake after getting her laughter under control, "I have made my name a taboo. Anyone who speaks it without my permission, will feel the same effect as you felt-" she looked questioningly at Drake, "- and if I am not mistaken, the effect adds up each time you speak it." Drake nodded in agreement. "By the way, Drake , this is my boyfriend, Bill Weasley. Bill, this is Drake Jones."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Weasley" Drake greeted, standing up and extending his hand.

Bill ignored Drake. Instead he glared at Tonks. "What the hell were you thinking, Tonks? Making your name a taboo. Reverse it this instant. And you Mr. Jones" Bill said, rounding on Drake, "Who the hell do you think you are, corrupting my girlfriend and teaching her Dark Arts?"

Drake snorted while Tonks bristled with anger. 'Ignorant fool!', thought Drake."For your kind information your girlfriend is not a child. She is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. I have not corrupted her. I merely proposed the idea to her. Besides, it's not Dark Arts. Strange, you British people seem to name any magic you don't fully understand or don't like as Dark Arts."

"Yes Bill. It was my choice. It's the perfect solution to my name problem." Tonks said, glaring at Bill.

"FINE!" Bill shouted. He calmed himself a little and said, "Well, I must get going. Oh, Tonks don't forget Charlie's birthday party this evening. I would like you to meet my parents. And please, make your hair long and red before coming over. My mother likes redheads."

"Sure Bill!" smiled Tonks, although Drake noticed that the smile did not reach her eyes. Tonks stood staring at Bill's retreating figure with a strange expression on her face.

"Well, I too must get going. I have enjoyed our time together immensely, Miss Tonks." Drake smiled.

"Please call me Tonks" Tonks smiled.

"Ok Tonks." Drake started walking but stopped after taking a few steps. "Umm, I hope you don't mind giving you a piece of advice, Tonks, but I believe that you shouldn't have to change yourself to make someone love or accept you." With that parting statement and a small wave, Drake walked away, leaving behind a confused and thoughtful looking Tonks.

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It was late afternoon when Drake returned to Privet Drive. He stretched a little to loosen his stiff muscles and let out a sigh of relief when he felt his back pop. 'It had been a rather productive day', Drake thought as he sat down with a cup of tea and began enlarging his various purchases. He had claimed the account his mentor had opened for him at Gringotts. His vault was not filled to the brim with money but it had enough to last a few months. He had also gotten a wand (oak, twelve inches with phoenix feather core). It had been rather amusing for Drake to see almost half the contents of the shop being piled up on the countertop before Ollivander found the perfect wand for him. 'The wand, though good, is just adequate' Drake mused. There was no way he would be able to use the full extent or range of his powers using it. Then again, he wouldn't be able to do that using any wand or staff in the world.

He had also secured a job as an assistant bartender at the Leaky Cauldron. 'A perfect place for hearing news and gossips', thought Drake. He had also permanently booked a room in the Leaky Cauldron. The less people knew about his house at Privet Drive, the better.

The best part of the day, however, was his chance meeting with Tonks. Her bubbly and rather colorful personality interlaced with the underlying insecurities had almost immediately endeared her to him. Drake smiled fondly as he remembered her childlike excitement at the prospect of pulling a prank and her carefree and unrestrained laughter at its success. Despite her age, her actions showed that she still possessed a little innocence deep inside her. Her boyfriend, though, was a cause of worry. He laughed a little at the thought of the havoc his little spell is going to cause at Hogwarts. He felt a little guilty and worried that she might get into trouble because of it.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Drake made his way to the training room to prepare it for his training sessions with Harry. The faster they could start the training, the better it was.

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Drake was casually flipping through the pages of a trashy romance novel a week later when he felt a pull at his energy. He understood that Harry had activated his portkey and was requesting his permission to come to his house. Drake glanced at his watch and saw that it was past midnight. Though a little surprised, Drake gave the permission and made his way to the training room.

_Moments earlier at the Dursley household:_

Harry was sitting on his bed inside his cupboard, slowly running his fingers across his ring. He had waited for a week with difficulty since he could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of learning magic. Today was the day he was supposed to start training and throughout the day he had looked for oppurtunities to escape to Drake's house. Alas, he had found none. So when he finally retired for the day to his cupboard, he decided to activate his ring. He hoped that Drake would ignore the inappropriate timing of his request and accept it. Very softly he muttered 'phoenix' and waited for something to happen. For a few moments nothing happened. Just as Harry was starting to lose hope, the ring glowed brightly and a small yellow ring of light appeared under his feet. The ring enlarged until its diameter was about the same size as the width of his body. Harry could make out strange symbols around the circumference of the ring. The internal area of the ring was as black as night. Suddenly he felt a pull and the next moment he was sucked into the ring. The next moment he found himself lying in a heap on soft ground. He looked up to see the yellow ring shrinking back into nothingness . He got up and looked around to find himself in a strange place. It looked like the middle of a garden. There was soft earth underneath him and the place was filled with plants, shrubs, flowers, etc. The place oozed calmness and a sense of peace. He turned around just as he heard the sound of a door opening followed by the sound of footsteps.

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Drake entered the training room to find a slightly dazed looking Harry looking in his direction. "Welcome to the training room" Drake chuckled at his gobsmacked expression.

"This is _inside _your house?" Harry asked disbelievingly. "How?"

Drake winked mysteriously. "Magic!"

Harry huffed."Why a garden though?"

"Peaceful atmosphere is required to learn Occlumency. But before we begin…" Drake waved his hand and a cake appeared in his hand, "…Happy belated birthday, Harry!"

Harry looked too shocked to say anything. He kept looking from the cake to Drake's smiling face as if to determine whether it was a joke or not. Then tears formed in his eyes and he choked out an emotion-filled thank you.

"How did you know that July 31st was my birthday. I don't recall telling you." Harry managed to ask, even though his mouth was stuffed with chocolate flavoured cake.

Drake chuckled. "I forgot to mention that you are kind of a celebrity in the magical world. So your birthday is not exactly a secret."

"Why am I a celebrity?"

Drake's expression sombered. "You remember I mentioned about your parents not dying in a car crash?" Harry nodded. "You see, 10 years ago the magical world was in a state of war. This war was going on for quite a few years. The war was against an evil wizard called Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. Many good people were murdered at the hands of Voldemort and his followers. Many fought valiantly and were a thorn at Voldemort's side. Your parents were among such people. For reasons unknown, Voldemort personally targeted your parents, a rare occurrence in itself since Voldemort usually let his followers do the dirty work. So on Halloween's Eve 9 years ago, he arrived at your house and murdered your parents. They fought bravely but were no match for him. Then he decided to kill you also. This is where it gets weird. For some strange reason, the curse he fired at you apparently rebounded and he himself got hit by it. What exactly happened, nobody knows for sure. But when others arrived at your house, they only found you and the charred remains of Voldemort's clothing. Some say he died, some believe he is still out there somewhere. But whatever happened, the war ended because of it and you were and still is considered as the Boy Who Lived, since before you nobody has ever survived his curse."

Tears were running silently down Harry's cheeks as for the first time in 9 years he mourned for his parents whom he never got to know.

Drake allowed Harry to mourn for sometime before he broke the silence. "I guess we should call it a day. It has been a rather emotional night for you."

Harry wiped his eyes. "No, no, let's begin training. I am alright. My school starts in a week. I don't know how much spare time I can afford then."

Drake nodded. "Ok, Occlumency, as I have said earlier, is a type of mind magic. In simple terms it basically involves gathering all your memories and emotions in one place and building shields around them so that they can neither come out nor can somebody get in." Harry nodded, indicating that he had understood thus far.

"To most magical people, mental shields form the only and most important part of occlumency. Therefore they solely concentrate on building the strongest mental shields possible. Although this method requires relatively less magical energy, it has a big flaw. You see, our mind is made up of two parts- the conscious and the subconscious. An active mental shield can only protect the conscious mind since the blocking of intrusion has to be actively done by the person. It however cannot protect the subconscious mind. So if you are asleep or unconscious, it will be child's play to retrieve memories from your mind.

"This is where the second part of occlumency comes into play, a part which is ignored by most. This part involves the creation of a mindscape which protects the subconscious mind passively. For now, however, we will not worry about the second part. We will worry about it only after you have perfected your active mental shields." Again Harry nodded.

"So how do we build this shield?"

"Through meditation. First close your eyes and put aside all useless thoughts and emotions. Then focus on a single image of something constant, unending and uniform, like say a body of water, a single color and such. Basically it can be anything as long as it is composed of only one element. Now do it and tell me when you are ready." Harry assumed the lotus position and began his meditation.

So began Harry's training. Not much progress was achieved that night since Harry's thoughts kept drifting towards his parents. During the course of the next week, Harry came to Drake's house every night and trained for 2-3 hours. He often tried to meditate when he got some free time at the Dursleys but it proved to be rather hard to focus when there was so much noise around him.

Once school started, Harry's visits became less frequent but he assured Drake that he was practicing whenever he got time. On certain weekends, Harry tried to come during the day when his relatives were out of the house but Drake was unable to grant him permission since he worked fulltime at the Leaky Cauldron. His shifts often extended late into the evening, so training during the day or in the evening was out of the question.

It took Harry more than a month to clear his head of unwanted thoughts and completely focus on the mind image. In Drake's opinion, for someone as young and inexperienced as Harry, this was a remarkable feat. At the start Harry often complained about a mental image of a flash of green light interrupting his focus. A few weeks later, he got the idea of using a vast expanse of green color as his mind image. The idea seemed to have worked and Harry was ecstatic that he could now completely focus and maintain his mind image. Drake was impressed by Harry's ingenuity.

"Now harry I am going to try to invade your mind." Drake informed Harry as he sat in front of him a month later. At the alarmed look on Harry's face, Drake soothed, "Relax. No need to get so worried. I will be gentle. Now any invasion will appear as a spot or blemish on your mind image. Now think of your mental image as a flexible sheet of green color. Since you have put so much effort in creating it, you don't want some spot or blemish to spoil it, now do you? So your aim should be to keep your image blemish free. Whenever you spot some blemish or deformation in your image, you will wrap a part of your image around that area, completely enclosing it so that the overall image remains blemish free. Understood?"

Harry nodded. "Ok, now get ready. _Leglimens!_"

During the first few attempts, Drake managed to bypass Harry's shields and got a glimpse of a few of his memories. He withdrew quickly, not really interested in invading his privacy but the few memories he saw, left Drake fuming and Harry extremely embarrassed and sad. If it was not for his extremely strong occlumency shields, Drake felt that he would have gone and cursed the Dursleys to hell for beating a child with a belt for wanting more food and other similar atrocities.

After a few more tries, Harry finally managed to block Drake's attack successfully. He did a sort of happy jig in celebration. A few more successful tries later, Drake decided to call it a day and sent Harry away with the instruction that he should now try to keep his shields up at all times and try to go about doing his everyday tasks with his shields up. He was not required to comeback for training until he has achieved it.

It was nearly six months before Harry contacted Drake again. He happily regaled how he could now do his tasks with his shields up. He confided with a hearty chuckle that in the beginning when his shield was up, he saw green everywhere and bumped into stuff, much to the annoyance of the Dursleys. Then slowly he was able to see other stuff but through a sort of green haze. Presently, he could see everything clearly and was able to bring up his shield at a moments notice. It was confirmed when Drake caught harry unawares with leglimency attacks several times during their following training sessions. Much to the delight and pride of Drake, all his attacks were successfully thwarted by Harry.

"Now Harry, comes the second part of Occlumency…the mindscape. The mindscape is basically a mental rendition of a place you are familiar with. It is usually a house or a room, though it can practically be anything as long as it is complicated and unfamiliar to most people. In this mindscape you organize and store all your memories, thoughts and emotions. You may check up on the book I gave you for your birthday for details. In simple terms, the more complicated the layout of your mindscape, the better it is. A very important thing you need to remember is that the location you choose as your mindscape should be such that it's known only to you. In that way, it will be harder for the intruder to find your hiding spots, where you have stored your most private and important memories.

Say, you chose No.4 as your mindscape. Now it's layout is very similar to that of my house. So, it would not be very difficult for me to find your hiding spots. Any questions?"

"A mindscape is passive defense, right? So technically the intruder can take all the time in the world to search for my hiding places and I will be sitting ducks" Harry asked confusedly.

Drake smirked. "You have been living at No.4 for more than 9 years, correct?"

"Yes…" Harry answered, now more than a little confused by this sudden change of topic.

"So I assume I am not wrong when I say that even when you are locked in your cupboard, you are able to get a fairly good idea of what's going on in the rest of the house from sounds and general atmosphere in the house? You are also able to detect if something is amiss?"

Harry nodded affirmatively.

"Your mindscape also works in a similar way. As you become more and more attuned to your mindscape and magic, your subconscious will be able to detect anomalies pretty quickly and if your will is strong enough, it may even be able to throw the intruder out. Otherwise, your subconscious will just wake you up, then you can do the honours consciously."

"Cool!"

"Yeah, it's cool, isn't it? So, shall we begin?"

The next few months were spent by Harry trying to build up the perfect mindscape, organizing his memories and storing them securely within his mindscape. Drake also kept testing his outer shields occasionally to ensure that they are in optimum condition. He often gave tips and suggestions for improving and fine-tuning his defences.

In no time, one year since the day Drake arrived at Privet Drive, was almost complete. Harry's eleventh birthday was fast approaching.

_**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Anyway, can anyone guess Drake's method of transportation? Also, please guys, REVIEW! **_


	5. Restricted Knowledge

**Restricted Knowledge**

_**A mysterious figure walked slowly towards the front door of No.4 Privet Drive. Slowly and silently he (considering the figure to be male, for now) picked the lock and pushed the door open. He squinted at the empty and dark hallway, watching warily and listening intently for any sounds, any sign of another presence. Finding none, he crept silently along the hallway while pulling out his wand. He noticed light at the end of the hallway and cautiously approached it. He peeked around the wall and saw Mr. and Mrs. Dursley eating dinner in the most inappropriate manner possible. Stifling the urge to retch, the figure cast a disillusionment charm on himself and silently crossed the area and moved on towards the basement. It looked like the figure was looking for something, or someone.**_

_**Slowly the figure opened the door of the basement and after a swift 'Lumos', crept down the stairs only to find Dudley and a few other boys of his age threatening a small boy with jet black hair. The figure took a step in their direction, apparently to stop the bullying, but stopped. He crept back upstairs and moved on to the 1**__**st**__** floor. There were two rooms on that floor. The figure skipped the first room and proceeded to the other room. The figure opened the door and peeked inside to find Mr. and Mrs. Dursley kissing each other. Hmm, weren't they downstairs a while ago? He hastily closed the door muttering 'gross' under his breath. He moved on to the room he had skipped and eased the door open. Inside, an ebony haired kid was chatting away happily with an older boy with blue eyes. Smiling, the figure closed the door.**_

_**The figure returned downstairs and looked around, apparently looking for something. A few moments later, he walked up to the side of the stairs. There was a small door, apparently that of a cupboard, under the stairs. The figure opened the door and entered the tiny room, just barely large enough to accommodate him. Inside there was a small cot and nothing else. Shaking his head, the figure was about to leave when he spotted something-a loose floorboard under the cot. The figure reached out for it and started to open it….**_

"_**Don't you think you have overstayed your welcome?" a strangely amused voice asked from the doorway of the cupboard.**_

"_**Maybe. Took you long enough to notice my presence, Harry", the figure responded without turning, sounding a little stern.**_

"_**Yeah, well, as they say, better late than never. Anyway if my guess is correct I caught you faster this time." Harry retorted.**_

"_**Still, not quick enough!"**_

"_**You are really hard to please! Now, enough talk. Get out of my house, Drake!" and with that the entire cupboard was filled with a blinding white light.**_

"Enervate!"

Harry sat up groggily on the floor where he had been lying unconscious and muttered, "How did I do?"

"5 minutes 30 seconds. Good, but not perfect. It's an improvement, nonetheless, from the 5 minutes 40 seconds you achieved last time." Drake grinned.

"Only 10 seconds improvement, huh?"

"Maybe it seems small to you but for a kid who has not yet felt his magic core, is not attuned to his magic, such timings are actually quite good….but that doesn't mean that you can slack off. Practice, practice, practice!" Drake added, seeing the satisfied and smug expression on Harry.

_Practice! _That's all what Harry had been doing for the last few months. Ever since the day he had successfully built up his mindscape, he had been spending most of his training duration, unconscious. Drake had been thoroughly testing out his mindscape. The little time he spent in the conscious world was spent in tolerating the pounding Drake gave his mental shields. It seemed to Harry that as his eleventh birthday came closer, Drake was becoming increasingly stricter and harsher. It was almost as if he was on a mission.

"Can we please call it a day? Harry practically begged. "My head's pounding like hell and I am feeling nauscious."

"Yeah, sure. Stay here awhile to get your bearings right. I'll make tea." Drake said, getting to his feet.

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"So, only a few weeks left for you eleventh birthday and your Hogwarts letter. Excited?" Drake asked, handing out a cup of tea to Harry.

"Yeah, a bit. How will I be getting the letter? Owl post?"

"Probably, but I don't think so. As far as I know, usually someone from the school comes to deliver the letter personally if the child is raised in a muggle household. So, if I were to guess, I would guess that taking into account your importance in the magical world and you being raised in a rather disgusting muggle household, someone important from the school will be coming to deliver your letter. I am rather curious to see who." Drake said thoughtfully.

"Well, I should get going." Harry said, draining his cup.

"Yeah, you don't want to be late tomorrow. It's Dudley's birthday after all! Such an important day!" Drake drawled, smirking slightly.

"AHHH! Did you have to remind me that? Now I will have nightmares." Harry whined.

"Another reason to practice your Occlumency"

"You are impossible!" Harry said, shaking his head and laughing.

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"Stupid, stupid, stupid! I am the stupidest person alive!" Harry fumed as he paced in front of a curious Drake.

'Harry's mood seems to be drastically different each time he is coming to my house over the last few weeks.' Drake mused. 'Last time he was panicing over his ability to speak to snakes. Although, his tale of setting the snake on Dudley was rather amusing.'

"What made you realize your stupidity?" Drake asked curiously.

"The fact that I stupidly stood at the doorway, staring at my unopened Hogwarts letter, not even noticing Dudley, who had sneaked up behind me and snatched the letter from my hand. As a result of which my letter got deposited in the fireplace. Now my uncle has shifted me to another room, which is a good thing, but my uncle breathing down my neck to make sure I don't receive another letter sure is not."

"Your letter arrived by muggle post?" Drake exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah!" Harry said, still pacing furiously.

'Odd!' Drake thought. 'I was sure someone important, maybe even Dumbledore, would be coming to deliver the letter. What are your intentions Dumbledore?'

"Calm down Harry. You'll get your letter eventually."

"How? My uncle is practically sealing the house." Harry exclaimed angrily.

"You are forgetting that you are very important to the magical world. They will make sure that you get your letter. That means eventually they will send somebody to deliver your letter. I am rather curious to see who and why haven't they already done that."

"Why is this so important Drake?" Harry asked, now a little curious himself.

"If I am not mistaken, the address on your envelope was 'Cupboard under the stairs.' So they must know exactly where you live and in what condition. I mean, come on, who lives in a cupboard for heaven's sake! So it is safe to assume that they know exactly what type of people the Dursleys are and the fact that they hate you and your magic and therefore, won't raise a finger to help you get your magical education. If so, then why haven't they sent anyone?

"Also consider the scenario that you and I had never met each other, which is still true for them since they are not aware of my existence. You get your letter by post. You open it and you read its contents, but then what? Would you have been able to do the shopping considering the fact that you would have been totally unaware about the magical world until that point? Would your uncle have helped? No! These are the facts that the people who had dumped you at the Dursleys are probably already aware of, seeing as you have always been under their watch. So the question again arises: why haven't they sent someone?"

Harry was shocked. "I-I have been under watch? How? By whom?" he stammered out.

"I don't know them, but I am willing to bet my last knut that they are magical. That was one of the reasons why I forbade you to come to my house through the front door or acknowledge me in public."

"So what should I do now?" Harry asked, a little irked at this violation of privacy.

"Let things run their natural course. Don't worry, one way or another, you will reach Hogwarts."

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Working at the Leaky Cauldron was a bittersweet experience for Drake. Sometimes he really enjoyed his work and the occasional conversations he took part in with some really interesting people, like that dimunitive wizard who came to the bar a few weeks ago. Drake got really interested when the wizard introduced himself as Filius Flitwick, a Professor at Hogwarts. Drake nearly laughed out aloud when Flitwick, in his slightly drunken state, happily regaled some mischievous stories of his students, especially of one Nymphadora Tonks. She, apparently, had caused quite a lot of trouble that year. Students and professors alike jumping up a foot in the year every time they uttered her name, had been a common occurrence that year. Even more amusing was the fact that even Prof. Dumbledore had been a victim and the fact that it had happened in the middle of the Great Hall hadn't helped matters at all.

Other times he really hated his work, especially when he had to be forcefully polite with people whom he would like nothing better to kick out of the bar, like obnoxious and foul smelling wizards and irritating and fawning witches. Like he was hating it now, though not exactly for the above reasons. No, the reason was that this particular customer, one Mr. Quirell, was really setting a record of the amount of time it took to order a drink by his endless stuttering which was really starting to grate on Drake's nerves. The fact that he was practically oozing out the foul smell of garlic from every inch of his body, didn't help matters in the slightest.

"Could you please repeat your order, sir?" Drake requested for the third time, the previous two being lost between his stuttering.

"O-o-one g-glass o-of F-Firewhiskey, p-p-please", Quirell stuttered out nervously.

"Damn his nervousness! It seems to be making him stutter even more", Drake thought furiously, as he finally understood the order. 'I wonder why he is so nervous.'

A short distance away, the barkeeper Tom was chatting away happily with some of the regular customers. 'Great! He gets to have all the fun while I am stuck with this moron!' Drake's temper was particularly short that day because he was worried about Harry. He had not heard from Harry for more than a week. Fearing that his uncle might have taken some drastic measures, Drake had secretly gone to No.4 to check things out, only to find a house devoid of life. 'I wonder where Harry is at the moment.' Drake thought.

As if to answer his question, Harry stepped into the bar at that moment behind a rather large and wild looking man. Harry spotted Drake and was about to greet him when Drake dissuaded him with a slight shake of his head. Instead, he glanced at his escort and looked questioningly at Harry. Harry mouthed 'Hogwarts', to which Drake nodded, highly surprised. 'So this is the man they sent. He doesn't look to be very knowledgeable.'

"The usual, Hagrid?" Tom asked, enthusiastically.

"Not today, Tom. Important Hogwarts business. Also have to help Harry get his stuff."

Drake almost face-palmed himself. 'So much for secrecy. Now Harry will get a taste of being famous.'

Sure enough, the whole bar erupted in chaos at the news. Everyone was clamoring to touch and greet Harry. Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable at suddenly finding himself in the spotlight. Among them, one Mr. Diggle, actually managed to reach Harry and began fawning over him. Hagrid introduced him to Prof. Quirell, who greeted him back with his usual nervousness. Drake extended his hand and said, "Welcome to our world, Mr. Potter." Harry looked at Drake in surprise and confusion until Drake leaned in closer under the pretence of checking his scar and whispered, "Just play along"

"Same here, Mr…", Harry said, following Drake's lead.

"Drake, Drake Jones"

"New guy, Tom?" Hagrid asked.

"Only been a year. Really good at his work" Tom said.

Hagrid excused himself and Harry after a few more minutes and left the bar. Quirell left a few minutes later.

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Drake was greatly enjoying himself as he fed Hedwig (the owl Harry had got as a birthday gift from Hagrid), pieces of bacon from his plate. Harry was sitting on his bed at No.4, amusedly watching the scene.

Drake had popped over directly to Harry's room the moment he returned from work. His sudden appearance had nearly made Harry jump out of his pants in shock. Presently they were chatting about the day's events while devouring the food Drake had brought with him.

"Thanks for the food, Drake. I was starving!" Harry said sincerely as he put away the now empty plates.

"No problem!...Besides, I do need to feed you properly. I mean, all the girls would be expecting Harry Potter to be some sort of handsome hunk over whom they can fawn over. We can't afford to disappoint them, now can we?" Drake added with a straight face.

"Drake!" Harry shouted, blushing crimson. Drake roared with laughter and it was thanks to the strong privacy charms he had placed around the room that the sound was not heard by the Dursleys.

"Seriously though, you do need proper nourishment. You are way too physically underdeveloped for your age. And if someday you wish to begin the next phase of your training, you will need it even more." Drake said after he had got his laughter under control.

Harry was confused. "Why won't I want to begin the next phase? Training's fun, and useful!"

"The next phase may not be so much fun. Besides, there are certain conditions you must agree to before we can start with it and some of those may intrude upon your privacy a little."

Harry laughed. "Let me guess! I won't be able to tell about it to anyone. I had already agreed to it, Drake!"

"There's more to it this time. If you decide to continue to the next phase, I won't be teaching you as a friend any more. By agreeing to continue, you will become my apprentice. You will have to follow my every order regarding your training and general well-being, and believe me, I can be a pretty ruthless taskmaster. Moreover, I will put a spell on you. It will create a magically sealed enclosure deep within your mind. Within it every memory related to me and everything I taught or will teach you, will be stored by default, whether you want it or not. Only you and me will be able to access it. If you ever try to share the things stored there with anyone without my permission, those things will be erased permanently. The same will happen if anyone, other than me, breaks into it. So, these are the conditions. You can accept or reject. No hard feelings!"

Harry appeared to be conflicted. "What exactly do you mean by _general well-being_?"

"Nothing serious! You know, just prodding you in the right direction and interfering in things which I feel will hamper your natural growth and training, things like that. I will hardly ever interfere in your private matters but yes, I will occasionally give you advice. Actually, I am rather impressed that you asked the question. Good, you should never follow anyone blindly." Drake said smiling.

Harry smirked. "I learned it from you, Drake. See, we are best friends since last year, yet you do not trust me implicitly with the knowledge. I mean those are heck of a security measures!"

"I won't even implicitly trust my parents with the knowledge!" Drake said with conviction. Harry was shocked. "The knowledge is restricted and it's for a good reason. At present only two people know of it, me and my mentor. It cannot be imparted on a whim. If it falls into the wrong hands, the world will be in chaos."

"If it's restricted, then why are you willing to share it with me?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Let's just say, you may encounter certain problems in the future. It will help you to combat them. Don't ask me anything more, I cannot tell you at present, but someday I will, probably when you are older." Drake added, noticing Harry opening his mouth.

Harry nodded reluctantly. "Can I quit in between?"

"No. Once you start, you have to finish it."

Harry nodded. He appeared to be thinking hard. Drake waited patiently. Secretly, Drake hoped that Harry would decide to continue. Certain events that had occurred earlier that day had greatly aroused Drake's suspicions and unease. The attempted robbery at Gringotts on a vault that was emptied earlier that day, apparently by Hagrid, and the presence of a nervous character, who suspiciously had been nervous ever since his trip to Albania (according to Tom), was not exactly coincidence, according to Drake. Especially when, Albania happened to be last known location of Voldemort. 'Or maybe I am just getting paranoid', Drake thought.

"I think I trust you enough to go ahead with the training." Harry said, rousing Drake from his thoughts.

"Are you sure? There's no turning back!" Drake warned. Harry nodded affirmatively.

Drake leaned over and touched Harry's forehead with two fingers. Harry tensed momentarily. "Relax Harry" Drake began chanting in a strange language. It continued for a full minute before Drake muttered softly, "From this moment onwards I shall be your master and you shall be my apprentice, until the day I formally release you." Harry's head glowed briefly with a soft yellow light, indicating the success of the ritual.

"Done?"

"Yes. Remember that the seal can be broken by me and me alone. Anyone else…well, you know the consequences." Harry nodded shakily.

Drake climbed onto Harry's bed and sat in front of him with his legs crossed. "Now Harry, observe."

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"So Harry, excited about tomorrow?"

"Absolutely! I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight" Harry replied excitedly.

Drake chuckled. "So decided which house you wanna be in?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Like they will let me choose! However, I would like to be in Ravenclaw. Thanks to you I have come to love gaining knowledge and training. But then again, maybe not, since I don't think that I am very intelligent. I am also not that brave, so Gryffindor is out of the question, even though it's the best. I don't want to be in Slytherin or Hufflepuff because the former is evil and the later I hear is for rejects."

Drake frowned deeply. "Who told you all this rubbish?"

Harry looked taken-aback. "Hagrid" he muttered uncertainly.

Drake cursed inwardly. 'I knew that man was not suitable for introducing a child to a new world'

"Listen to me very carefully, Harry. I want you to get rid of these biased ideas and half-truths."

"But Hagrid said…" Harry tried to say.

"What Hagrid said is wrong or rather not entirely true. The reality is that no house is better or inferior than the other. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, the entire house system is inappropriate since it promotes division among students, unnecessary and sometimes rather violent rivalry and prevents the complete development of a student."

"How so? I mean the houses select students based on their most prominent character trait, don't they?"

"Drake smiled. "Exactly Harry! They select based on the most prominent, not the only. Let me ask you a question. What do you think a Gryffindor will do if he has to go into uncharted territory to, say, save someone?"

Harry shrugged, not exactly understanding the purpose of or answer to the question.

"Most probably, he would barge in recklessly and may fail to achieve his objective. This is a flaw of the house system. A person has many facets of his character but only one gets cultivated in a house, the rest gets neglected. The example I gave shows that bravery without proper knowledge of the area and cunningness to back it up creates a reckless person who leads not only himself but also others to danger. Similarly a knowledgeable person without bravery and cunningness becomes an overly cautious person and cannot take decisions in the heat of a battle. Would you want to be such an incomplete person?"

"No! But what can I do? It's not that I can prevent my sorting!" Harry looked a bit unsure and distressed.

"The starting point would be to keep an open mind towards all houses, even towards Slytherin. I know Hagrid told you that it's an evil house, and to some extent it's true but what Hagrid didn't tell you is the reason behind them turning dark. The reason is the house system and the irrational prejudice and hatred it promotes. It is the nature of human beings to shun something that they don't understand. Snakes had never been, what you would call, a 'light' creature. Hence the ability to speak to snakes is regarded with prejudice. They consider people who have that ability as Dark, although it's not at all true. Unfortunately, the symbol of Slytherin house is a snake and its founder had the ability to speak to snakes. Naturally, the rest of the houses regard the Slytherins with distrust and hatred. Add to the fact that Slytherin House promotes pureblood supremacy, hasn't helped either.

"Personally I hate pureblood supremacy. It is the major cause of corruption in the magical society and incidentally was also the main agenda of Voldemort. It has led to the death of many innocents and the suppression of other magical beings."

Harry looked extremely confused. Drake chuckled. "I know that I sound contradictory. Let me explain. The reason for Slytherin House going Dark and their promotion of pureblood supremacy is their isolation from the rest of the Houses. Remember Harry, isolation leads to stagnation of ideas since new ideas are not allowed to flow in. Add to the fact that all Slytherins are cunning and ambitious. Now this could have been guided down a proper path if they had not been shunned unnecessarily. What happened instead is that isolation turned their ambition into a blind hunger for power and a way to prove themselves. This led them to the path of evil because they had become prone to follow anyone blindly if they had power and would give them a chance to prove their mettle. This was how Voldemort gained his followers during the last war.

"As far as pureblood supremacy is concerned, the idea was born of the fact that only purebloods understood that Parseltongue is not an evil ability. This idea got distorted by the isolation, a cause of which was the entry of Muggleborns and Halfbloods, who did not fully understood their ability, into the other Houses. Now the idea, further distorted by Voldemort, extends to anyone and everyone not fully human or Pureblood.

"So Harry, while I am not telling you to get sorted into Slytherin or be extremely chummy towards them, don't ignore them either. Who knows, maybe you can find some gems among the trash. As far as Hufflepuff is concerned, if you believe that loyalty is a weakness, then I have nothing more to say to you. Harry, always strive to be an open-minded person and always judge people for who they are, not what their House is. Also no matter in which House you get sorted in, try to embrace the good qualities of all the Houses. Never restrict yourself to only your House, no matter what anyone says. Only this way will you be able to become a well-rounded person."

"Thanks Drake. I will always try to remember and follow your advice" Harry said sincerely.

Drake smiled warmly. "You better get some rest. I will meet you at Kings Kross tomorrow." And with that Drake vanished.

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Harry looked around nervously as he stood in the middle of platforms 9 and 10. People passing by were watching him curiously. He felt that it had something to do with the fact that he had in his possession a snowy owl. He had absolutely no idea how to get on platform 9 ¾ . Also Drake was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly he felt a pair of hands on his eyes. "Guess who?"

"You are late. I've been waiting for you for over 10 minutes." Harry said in reply, sounding a little annoyed.

"Well, I am here now. So, where's the platform?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "That's what I've been trying to figure out."

"Hagrid didn't tell you?" Drake asked, very much surprised. Harry shook his head.

"Hmm!" Drake looked thoughtful. "Logically it should be somewhere between platforms 9 and 10…"

Drake was interrupted from his monologue by a rather loud voice, "…filled with Muggles…" Drake looked around and spotted a group of people being led by a rather plump woman. All of them had red hair and freckles. "Now what's the platform number no. again?" the woman asked loudly, coming to a stop in front of the pillar separating platforms 9 and 10.

"Platform 9 ¾!" a small redheaded girl, who did not seem to be of Hogwarts age yet, piped up. Drake frowned at the group.

"Maybe we can ask them" Harry suggested from beside Drake.

"No" Drake flatly refused.

Harry was a little taken aback. "Why not? They seem to be magical and know where the platform is!"

"The magical world is a secret. Magical people know this and strive to keep it that way. Therefore they do not shout out magical terms in broad daylight in the middle of a platform filled with Muggles. Only a fool would do so…..or someone who wants to attract the attention of everyone, or rather someone." Drake added, looking pointedly at Harry.

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean it's a setup?"

"Possibly. I mean, a person, half of whose family has been going to Hogwarts for quite a few years, by the looks of the three older boys, and I believe that it's safe to assume that the person herself had gone to Hogwarts for 7 years, forget about the platform she had been visiting for so many years! It's rather fishy, isn't it?"

"Yeah! What should I do? By the looks of the younger boy, he appears to be a 1st year just like me and all of the boys will be on the train and at school."

"Look Harry, don't get paranoid. I may be totally wrong. For the moment, just tread carefully around them." Harry nodded.

Drake and Harry followed the group through the pillar which turned out to be an invisible magical portal. 'Ingenious!', Drake thought. They were greeted by the sound of screeching birds, shouting people and the sight of a beautiful crimson train, the Hogwarts Express.

"Whatever you do at Hogwarts, do not neglect the exercises I told you to perform regularly. Also I want you to do your absolute best in academics. No excuses! Always remember, knowledge is power." Drake instructed as he discretely helped Harry with his luggage. He had to be discrete since he was presently invisible to everyone, except Harry. "And keep out of trouble…or maybe, cause as much trouble as you can." Drake added as the exploits of Tonks briefly flashed through his mind.

Harry looked at Drake as if he was out of his mind for suggesting him to cause trouble. He gave a small wave as the train began to move. At that moment both felt a sense of loss. During the last year both had grown accustomed to each other's company. 'This is going to be a long year!' Harry sighed.

"Good luck Harry!" Drake muttered softly as the train and Harry, slowly got lost in the horizon.

_**A/N: I know, I know, that this was a rather uneventful chapter. But believe me, this and the previous four are absolutely critical for the entire story. Hopefully, things will start to get interesting (and romantic) from next chapter onwards. For those who are wondering where's the hell is Fleur, sorry to inform you that she is still a few chapters away. And please REVIEW! Enjoy!**_


	6. The Beginning of Something Good

**The Beginning of Something Good**

"Bugger!" Tonks hissed in pain as the mediwitch applied generous amounts of salve on the bruises that covered her left hand and leg.

"That's one nasty curse you have been hit with, Tonks! The bruises won't go away easily but hopefully with proper medication you can make them disappear within the week" the mediwitch explained.

Tonks nodded mutely. She was hurting badly and that too not just physically. No, she was hurt emotionally and it was all she could do to not breakdown and cry. She reflected on how things had escalated and reached this point.

Everything had started out well. As soon as she had graduated from Hogwarts, she had enrolled herself at the Auror Academy. To become a top-class auror had always been her dream. She was readily accepted by the Academy. She had been ecstatic but yet a small part of her had wondered whether it was because of her excellent NEWT scores or her morphing ability. She liked to think that it was the former but somehow she didn't quite believe it.

Just as she had expected, auror training was bloody hard! The practicals were exciting but physically exhausting while the theories were just plain boring, at least that's what she felt. Yet she persevered to achieve her dream and soon she had gained the reputation of being the best and meanest dueler in the batch. She had been extremely happy and proud of herself but wished for a friend with whom she could share her happiness with. It was a sad truth that despite being an extremely outgoing and cheerful person, she had no real friend. The other students of her batch either liked her or hated her but whichever it was, it was all for the wrong reasons. The girls were jealous of her shape-shifting ability and more often than not gave her the cold shoulder. The boys…the boys just wanted to get in her good books, then take her on a date and _request_ her to re-model herself according to their wishes. It was always the same old routine!

One such guy, whose name was Carl (she couldn't remember his surname), had been especially desperate. Tonks was loathed to admit that for the first few weeks she had fancied him and considered him as a potential boyfriend. Her illusions had quickly shattered when she realized that Carl was somewhat of a playboy, only a lot worse. I mean the other guys at least waited for the first date before stating their request, but not Carl! He would casually strike up a conversation with her or near her and suggest not so subtly about things she should change about herself to make herself more _desirable_! Of course, all that was stated in a polite manner! _The nerve of that guy!_

That day Carl seemed to have exhausted his patience. So he had approached her a few hours ago and expressed his wish to take her on a date. Naturally she had refused. Now any other guy would have taken the hint and backed off. But it seemed that Carl didn't like doing things the normal way.

"I have been nice to you for the last few months. I deserve to go on a date with you," Carl shouted angrily.

At this Tonks lost her cool. "Deserve? You don't deserve anything! And about being nice, if making obvious suggestions about what things I should change about myself to make myself more desirable is your idea of being nice, then you are a bigger idiot than I thought. You should be thankful that I didn't hex your mouth off when you dared to ask me for a date!" Tonks shouted back. She turned her back on him and stalked away. That proved to be a mistake!

The Banishing Charm hit Tonks hard and she crashed painfully into a nearby wall. Shaking the stars out of her head, Tonks barely dodged the next curse. It seemed that Carl had totally lost it. Tonks was soon on her feet and returned fire with a couple of stunners. Carl dodged them easily and responded with another banishing charm. What started out as a mere verbal argument turned into an all out duel. Their little impromptu duel had attracted a small crowd. The boys had obviously sided with Carl but to Tonks' astonishment and disgust, even the girls seemed to be cheering for Carl. 'I guess they hate me more than I thought' Tonks mused as she dodged another curse.

Soon it became apparent to Carl and everyone else why Tonks was called the best dueler of the batch. Carl was barely defending himself from the onslaught of curses coming from Tonks. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before Tonks emerged victorious. However luck seemed to be against Tonks as her greatest nemesis made its appearance just as she was going to go for the kill. Tonks, clumsy as always, tripped and fell flat on her face. She had barely registered the roar of laughter her predicament had elicited when Carl seized his opportunity and disarmed her. However, it didn't end there. Tonks' world was consumed in pain as Carl hit her with some unknown curse, not once but twice.

As Tonks sat up gingerly with tears of pain and humiliation welling in her eyes, Carl swaggered upto her and whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "You should have accepted my offer Tonks. You should feel lucky that a guy as handsome as me and that too from a Pureblood family, wants to date you. I mean, just look at you! Can't even duel without tripping over like an idiot! Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror? You look like a bloody colorful clown only fit for a circus. If it was not for your morphing abilities, I doubt anyone would even look at you twice. So next time when anyone wants to take you for a date, you better accept it. It's not like you would ever find someone who would look at you differently. Trust me Tonks, you would always be a clumsy and idiotic half-blood metamorphmagus to everyone!"

One by on the crowd dispersed, laughing and joking among themselves. Tonks remained sitting there, hugging her knees as silent tears streamed off her eyes.

"All patched up! You should be back to 100% within the week." Tonks was shaken from her thoughts by the voice of the mediwitch.

"Thanks Jasmine" Tonks muttered before pulling on her shirt and jeans and rushing out of the infirmary.

"Poor girl!" Jasmine sighed sadly.

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Drake was busy cleaning up the dishes as fast as he could. He could of course use magic for the task, but unlike Tom, Drake liked to do it the muggle way. Tom had already gone up to bed and he planned on doing the same soon. He involuntarily let out a frustrated groan when he heard the door bell chime. 'Just what I need! Another customer!' Drake thought sarcastically.

"How may I be of…Tonks?" Drake exclaimed in surprise when the customer lowered her hood. However surprise turned into a frown when Drake noticed dried up tear tracks on her cheeks.

Tonks looked up, startled. "Drake? What are….you work here?"

"Yup, ever since the day we met. So, what brings you here at this time of the evening?"

A look of sadness took over Tonks and she seemed to be fighting back tears. "Nothing special. Just wanted to have a drink. One glass of the strongest you have, please" Tonks muttered tiredly.

Drake looked at Tonks worriedly before complying with her request. Tonks took her drink and drank it up in one go and ended up coughing heavily.

"Easy there!" Drake said, patting Tonks on the shoulder. He frowned when Tonks winced at the touch. "Tonks, what happened? Are you hurt?"

"Wha-? No,no, why should I be hurt?" Tonks looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Another glass, please!" Tonks gave a forced smile in an effort to show that she was perfectly alright.

After the fourth glass of Firewhiskey, Drake started to get seriously worried. It was clear to him that Tonks was hurting and was desperately trying to drown out her sorrow.

"Tonks, you have drunk enough for one night." Drake said while gently grabbing her wrist to prevent her from consuming her fifth glass.

"No I haven't! I still need more to forget my sorrows." Tonks slurred. Apparently Tonks was not accustomed to such strong beverages.

"No, you have had enough. Look at you, you are already tipsy and you still have to apparate home. Any more tipsy and you are going to splinch yourself." Drake said firmly.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE DRAKE, STOP BEING AN INSUFFERABLE AND LECTURING BARTENDER AND JUST DO YOUR DAMN JOB!" Tonks burst out in anger, her hair taking on a blood red color.

Drake looked taken aback by the outburst. He gazed at Tonks for a moment before sighing and let go of her hand. "Of course! I am sorry Tonks. I guess I just forgot my boundaries." Drake busied himself with the cleaning of the rest of the dishes.

Tonks gulped down her drink and got up. She swayed heavily on the spot and had to grab on to the counter to prevent herself from falling over. She tossed a few coins on the counter-top and turned around to leave all the while muttering something about 'insufferable bartenders'. She had only taken a few steps before she collapsed on the floor, dead faint.

Drake let out a sigh and made his around the bar. He poked and prodded Tonks but found that she was totally in another world at that moment with no chance of returning to consciousness before morning. He picked her up bridal style, noticing how light she weighed, and carried her up to his room. He laid her down on the bed and was about to tuck her under the blanket when he remembered her wincing at his touch. Hesitation and curiosity battled with each other with curiosity finally emerging as winner. Drake slightly pulled up Tonks' shirt sleeves and almost flinched at the sight of purplish-black bruises that covered her forearm. He stared at them for a moment before gently touching her forehead with a finger. Tonks' body briefly glowed with a soft blue light. He then tucked her under the blanket.

"Sleep well Tonks" Drake muttered softly before leaving the room.

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Tonks woke up next morning to a splitting headache. "Damn! I feel as though an entire herd of Hippogriff is rampaging inside my head" Tonks winced and shielded her eyes against the bright morning sunlight streaming through the window.

A few moments later as Tonks took in her surroundings, she realized that she was not in her room but in someone else's. More importantly she was in someone else's bed. She quickly checked herself under the blanket and sighed in relief on finding herself fully clothed.

"You know Tonks, I may be an insufferable bartender but I am not that type of guy who takes advantage of a vulnerable girl." Tonks looked up, startled and found Drake standing at the doorway with a vial in hand. Tonks looked slightly ashamed of herself.

"You had too much drink yesterday and passed out as a result of it. All I did was provide you with a bed to spend your night in. I assure you that nothing else happened that you would regret. Anyway, I made you some hangover potion. If you want, you may drink it." Drake said, holding out the vial.

"Thanks!" Tonks muttered in a small voice feeling slightly ashamed and also a little guilty having spotted the sleeping bag on the floor by now. It was clear to her that Drake had spent the night on the floor. She sighed in relief as soon as the potion hit her stomach but then as the memories of the previous night flooded back to her, she looked up at Drake, stricken. Drake's face however was betrayed no emotions.

"Are you hungry?" Tonks nodded, unable to look Drake in the eye.

"Alright, freshen up while I bring your breakfast." Drake said and left the room.

Tonks sighed heavily. She had insulted Drake when he was just trying to look out for her. 'Great job, Nymphadora!'

Tonks had just exited from the bathroom when he heard someone knocking at the door. "Come in." Moments later Drake entered the room with her breakfast. He placed the tray on the bedside table and was about to leave when Tonks spoke up," Umm Drake…" Drake held up his hand. "No need to apologize, Tonks. I know you were upset yesterday and I crossed my boundaries. I understand" Drake gave a small smile and left the room.

Tonks sat down heavily on the bed. She had sensed that Drake was hurt by her outburst even if he tried not to show it. She felt a little lost. She had no idea what she should do. 'Maybe a full stomach would help me think.' Tonks mused and began devouring the delicious looking breakfast.

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Tonks returned downstairs fifteen minutes later to find the pub bursting to the brim. She wanted to thank Drake for the breakfast and make another attempt at apologizing to him but found him to be surrounded by early morning customers. Drake appeared to be very popular among the people as he was being practically mauled over by the people while Tom was lazily surfing through the morning newspaper. Drake seemed to be full of energy as he catered to everyone's needs with a smile. It was the same sort of smile he had given Tonks that morning, a smile that assured that everything was alright even if it was not. 'Maybe I would return in the evening and thank him' Tonks thought. Seemingly coming to a decision, she left the bar. Unbeknownst to her, Drake watched her leave with a sad smile.

Tonks apparated to her house and after a quick change of clothing, apparated to the Auror Academy. She was about to enter her first class when Jasmine caught up with her.

"Tonks, you forgot to take your potions yesterday" Jasmine said, handing her a bag of potion bottles.

"Oh! Thanks Jasmine…." Tonks trailed off. She had just noticed that her bruises weren't hurting at all. In fact, now that she thought of it, they haven't been hurting since she woke up that morning.

"Jasmine, come with me. I want to check something." Tonks said and pulled a bewildered Jasmine to the infirmary. As soon as they entered the infirmary, Tonks locked the door and shed her clothing. Jasmine gasped in surprise and Tonks herself was shocked to see the absence of a single bruise on her body. All she saw was clear unblemished skin.

"How is this possible? Those were the result of a near Dark curse! No way can they disappear in under a day!" Jasmine stated in surprise as she examined Tonks.

Tonks gazed at her reflection in the mirror in shock before a sudden suspicion caused her eyes to widen. "Drake..?"

"Who?" Jasmine asked curiously.

Tonks hastily put on her attire. "I have to check something. See you later Jasmine!" She positively ran from the infirmary leaving an even more bewildered mediwitch behind.

Tonks arrived at the Leaky Cauldron moments later and immediately made her way over to Drake who, she noted with relief, was not busy at that moment.

"Hello Tonks, how may I be of service?" Drake asked with a smile.

Suppressing a wince at the formal greeting, Tonks pushed on, "Umm…can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Drake looked thoughtfully at Tonks who shifted a bit nervously under his gaze. "Ok" Drake replied shortly and led Tonks up to his room.

"Take a seat." Tonks sat on the edge of the bed while Drake seated himself on a chair in front of her and waited patiently for her to begin.

"Umm…first of all I would like to thank you for what you did for me even after I insulted you." Tonks said looking at Drake.

"There is no need for an apology. I believe I already told you that."

"Yes, you did but I don't agree with you. True, that I was upset and drunk but still what I said was totally uncalled for. I want you to know that I didn't mean those things." Tonks said with as much sincerity as she could muster.

"Of course I know that you didn't mean those things. But thanks for your apology. I know I shouldn't have been…but I was a little hurt by what you said."

Tonks looked down at her feet. "I know. I saw it on your face and I am extremely sorry for it….I suppose you are curious about why I was upset?"

"I will be lying if I say that I am not but you don't have to tell me if you are uncomfortable about sharing it." Drake smiled reassuringly.

Tonks nodded and looked outside the window, apparently deep in thought. After a few minutes Tonks began speaking and it seemed that she was merely thinking out loud. "Why did I have to be born as a clumsy metamorphmagus? Why couldn't I have been just a normal girl? Why?"

"Tonks wha-?" Drake started to say but trailed off as Tonks turned to face him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She swallowed heavily and told Drake about the incidents at the Academy. By the end of her tale, Drake was furious and it was only the sight of a sobbing Tonks that forced him to calm down instead of rushing off to the Academy and giving Carl a hands-on experience in 'getting your ass cursed off.'

Drake got up and sat beside Tonks. He gave her a one armed hug around her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. Tonks tensed up momentarily at the unexpected contact but then relaxed in his embrace. "Tonks look at me" Drake gently requested. Tonks turned to look at him and was momentarily overwhelmed by the concern she saw in those mesmerizing blue orbs. Drake gently wiped away her tears before smiling, "Don't let their foolishness and ignorance affect your views about yourself. They don't realize how special you are and someday you will find that special someone who will look at you and see only Tonks. For the moment forget about those idiots. Concentrate on your training and become the best auror of your batch….Now smile, I want the Tonks who caused mayhem at Hogwarts back!" Drake added giving Tonks a warm smile.

Tonks felt warmth spread through her when Drake touched her cheek and her heart started beating a little faster. She was filled with renewed confidence at Drake's words and gave him a watery smile. "How did you find out about my exploits?"

Drake chuckled. "Let's just say that your Prof. Flitwick can't hold his liquor very well." Drake proceeded to tell Tonks about his conversation with Flitwick. By the end of the tale both of them were laughing hysterically.

"Umm Tonks," Drake said after sometime, "I was wondering why Carl was asking you for a date. Didn't he know that you are with Bill?"

"Was, I was with Bill. I broke up with that bigoted idiot a few weeks after you and I met." Tonks laughed bitterly. "Turns out that my mother had been right about him all along. And his mother! Where to begin? The nerve of that woman, calling me a scarlet woman in front of all my classmates." Tonks exclaimed angrily.

"Scarlet woman?" Drake asked confusedly.

"A whore, in normal terms!"

Drake's eyes flashed with anger. His dislike for that woman had just increased another notch.

Silence fell between them. After sometime Tonks decided to break the silence. "Drake?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you be my friend?" Tonks asked nervously but with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Drake looked surprised by the request. "Are you sure you want an…what was it? Oh, yeah… an 'insufferable and lecturing bartender' as your friend?" Drake asked cheekily.

Tonks laughed and lightly punched Drake on the arm. "Prat!"

"Seriously though, I had always considered you as my friend since the day we met. I take it that you hadn't."

"I, um, I-I", she didn't know what to say. She looked away, feeling deeply ashamed. If she was honest with herself then although she had remembered Drake every time someone flinched at her name, she had never really considered him as a friend. In fact, for a time she had blamed him for her breakup with Bill. Why did he have to give her that advice? Why did he have to open her eyes? She was perfectly happy with Bill! Now sitting beside Drake in his room, those thoughts filled her with guilt and shame. Whatever Drake had done had all been for her wellbeing, yet all she had ever done was blame and insult him.

"To answer your question however, yes I will gladly be your friend for as long as you want me to be."

Tonks looked up to see Drake smiling warmly at her, a smile that for some unknown reason made her heart beat slightly faster. She lunged at Drake and hugged him for dear life. "Thanks Drake!" Tonks choked out. Drake was a little taken aback by the hug but returned it gladly albeit a little awkwardly.

An hour later as Tonks prepared to leave, she remembered her actual purpose of coming there. "Umm Drake, did you by any chance do something about my injuries?"

Drake looked sheepishly at Tonks. "Yeah well I noticed you wince at my touch so I kinda figured that you were hurt. So I kind of peeked under your shirt sleeves…only shirt sleeves!" Drake added hastily at Tonks' raised eyebrow. "Well I saw your bruises and I kinda healed them. I didn't know if you were injured anywhere else so I applied the spell on your entire body."

Tonks stared at Drake for some time with an unreadable expression before hugging him again. "Thank you Drake!" she muttered softly.

"No problem Tonks. After all, that's what friends do."

"Well I better go back to the Academy and explain my absence before they decide to kick me out of there. Thanks again Drake!" Tonks gave Drake another brief hug and left.

Little did she know that the friendship she had formed that day will change her life forever. Will it be for the better? That remains to be seen!

xxxxxxxxx

Drake appeared out of thin air in the middle of Hogwarts grounds. The weather was slightly chilly but otherwise the day was perfect. Drake gazed at the medieval castle that looked majestic and imposing against the backdrop of sunny clear blue sky. He could see students making their way towards the far side of the ground dressed in red or green. The atmosphere was one of excitement.

Drake's purpose was however hardly to admire the castle or its students. No, he was there at the invitation of his friend Harry to watch and cheer for him as he played his first ever quidditch match. Drake had been in constant correspondence with Harry since the day the Hogwarts Express left platform 9 ¾. Some of his letters had made Drake smile fondly, others had made him laugh out loud and still others had made him frown worriedly.

Harry had been ecstatic that he had been sorted in Gryffindor (Huh! So apparently _I am_ brave!). He had complained heatedly about their potions master who apparently made his scar hurt and seemed to loath him for some unknown reason (Or maybe he is just plain grumpy, the git!). In some of his letters he had stated happily about making some new friends. Ron Weasley, one of those friends, had come to his compartment with the excuse that everywhere else was full! (Such a liar!). Harry assured Drake that he was keeping a wary eye on him but he was fun to be with if you could ignore his laziness and awful table manners and a few other not so good qualities. His other friend, a muggleborn witch named Hermione Granger was polar opposite to Ron (Man, that girl is a goddamn human library!). The friendship had occurred under dire circumstances, well at least if one considered defending oneself and at the same time as rescuing a girl from a twelve feet tall mountain troll as a dire circumstance! Drake had been more than a little surprised when Harry wrote that he had also formed a sort of secret friendship with a girl from Slytherin. Apparently they had bumped into each other in the library. Yeah right! Like Drake was foolish enough to believe that! Drake had teasingly asked in his return letter why Harry had chosen to bump into a girl and not a boy! Drake had laughed himself silly when he imagined the color of Harry's face after reading his reply.

Harry had been extremely happy when he got selected for his House team. He had also expressed his dislike about a boy called Draco Malfoy and worry about Ron, Hermione and Neville's unfortunate rendezvous with a Cerberus. That piece of news had made Drake think that perhaps his hunch was right after all. Drake had enquired whether Harry had been neglecting his training among all the excitement. Harry's reply had been quite boastful. He had let Drake know that he had developed some serious muscles, something that the local girls hadn't failed to notice, much to his discomfort. His weight had also increased by 5 pounds and he was top of all his classes, even potions! (I guess Snape's taking pills for heart ache!)

Drake was roused from his thoughts by the sound of a whistle. "Aw shit! The match's already started!" Drake cursed himself before hurrying off towards the quidditch pitch.

xxxxxxx

Harry marched out to the pitch behind the rest of his team and was greeted by equal measures of cheers and boos. He looked around in search of a familiar face but was disappointed when he realized its absence. 'Maybe he is busy at the bar' Harry thought in an effort to rationalize the absence of his friend.

After the customary handshaking (or was it handcrushing?) between the captains, the team kicked off into the air and Harry felt all his worries leave him. His sole focus…to catch the snitch before the opposing team's seeker.

The match progressed and despite the rough playing tactics of the Slytherin team, Gryffindor was leading the match 40-20. Harry still hadn't spotted the snitch but he was searching frantically for it. He looked around and spotted Ron, Hermione and Neville cheering from the stands. It was at that moment when he felt that something was off. His brand new nimbus 2000 wasn't responding to his commands. Instead it was jerking erratically like a mad bull whose sole purpose was to throw off its rider. Now that was a thought Harry didn't want to entertain. For God's sake, he was over 100 feet above the ground! As if sensing his thoughts, the broom redoubled its effort and a particularly violent jerk left him hanging off the broom, only holding onto it with one hand.

The crowd didn't seem to have noticed his predicament. 'Great! So much for being the youngest seeker in the century! I guess they only notice a seeker when he catches the snitch' Harry mused as another violent jerk almost made him lose his grip. A few minutes later the crowd had gone silent. 'Finally! Now will someone please get me off this thing!' His teammates tried to but his broom rebuffed their attempts by jumping out of their reach while steadily climbing higher and higher. 'Hello! You are going the wrong way. Lower would be better!' The broom stilled. Just as Harry let out a sigh of relief, the broom shook violently and Harry finally lost his grip. The crowd shrieked in horror and Harry closed his eyes awaiting his impending doom. He desperately prayed to any deity that existed to save him. 'I am too young to die!' Harry thought desperately.

Harry suddenly found himself slowing down. It seemed that someone has heard his prayers. He felt himself land gently on something warm and solid. Wishing that it was not a dream, Harry cracked open his eyes and found himself looking at clear blue sky. He turned over and was startled to find that the warm and solid thing was a shimmering and transparent yellow disc that was hovering in midair. Harry felt that there was something oddly familiar about it. It was as if he had felt similar warmth somewhere else. His eyes widened as realization hit him. He looked around and below him frantically and all his suspicions were confirmed when he spotted a familiar looking figure waving at him from the back of the stands. He turned around at a whizzing sound and saw his broom racing towards him before coming to a standstill beside him. Harry regarded the now innocent looking broom with some apprehension before glancing at the stands. The brief nod of the figure was all the confirmation he needed and he climbed back on the broom and kicked off. "Thanks Drake!" he muttered before resuming his search for the elusive snitch.

_**A/N: Annnnd that folks, is the end of this chapter. Boy was it hard! Romance is totally out of my element having never been in a relationship myself. But reading a few stories do help! **_

_**All of you may have noticed that I am basically following the canon storyline(with some twists of course) and overlapping it with totally A/U events. I will assume that you all have read the HP books because I will not be going into details of the canon storyline and only mention those parts which are important for the plot.**_

_**Can anyone guess who the Slytherin girl might be? The next chapter will probably mark the end of Harry's first year but I am not sure. I never plan out my chapters in advance!**_

_**And guys, please review. They are like energy drink to us budding authors! Enjoy!**_


	7. Heart's Deepest Desire

_**A/N1: Guys I need a little help in selecting an appropriate name for Drake's method of transportation. Kindly read Ch3 and it's a/n if you don't understand what I am talking about.**_

_**And can anyone suggest some actress/model on whom I can base the face of Tonks and Fleur.**_

_**But right now, enjoy the chapter!**_

**Heart's Deepest Desire**

Harry trudged along tiredly towards the Gryffindor Tower. The Quidditch match had ended an hour ago, yet he was still in his Quidditch robes. The reason was that the moment he had landed on the ground after successfully catching the snitch, Prof. McGonagall had come up to him and informed him that the Headmaster wished to meet him in his office right then. What followed was a lengthy interrogation session that irritated Harry to no end. He had anticipated such a situation but that didn't make the experience any more pleasurable. Not for the first time Harry found himself inwardly thanking Drake for his advanced Occlumency lessons as he endured alternating probes of Leglimency from Dumbledore and Snape. Why Snape was present at the meeting was beyond him. 'Probably just to get a chance to torment me' Harry mused.

Harry had been surprised that he actually found Dumbledore more annoying than Snape. At least Snape was open about his hatred towards him and hence his actions were much easier to anticipate and avoid. Dumbledore, however, was a different story altogether. He put on the mask of a concerned grandfather in front of him while pounding his shields with passive Leglimency. For God's sake, Harry had even felt his probes during mealtimes! Harry fumed in anger at the thought of the blatant invasion of privacy of those students who weren't accomplished Occlumens. He wondered if that was the reason why Dumbledore always seemed so calm and in control, he practically knew every secret of every student! Sometimes Harry was really tempted to trap Dumbledore within his shields, a technique Drake had taught him. However he had refrained from using it because he had never actually used it before and he didn't fancy Dumbledore as his first test subject. Also he didn't want to attract any more attention towards himself.

'Maybe someday I'll use it on Snape' Harry thought, an evil grin spreading on his face.

"My my Potter, that is one nasty grin you have on your face" The distinctly feminine voice startled Harry and he looked up to find Daphne Greengrass standing a few feet away from him, wearing a smirk on her face.

"Hello Daphne"

"I don't remember ever giving you the permission to call me by my first name, Potter" Daphne said, eyes narrowing a bit.

"I can't help it! You have got to admit that 'Daphne' has got a nice ring to it!" Harry shot back, eyes glinting mischievously.

Daphne huffed. "So what put that grin on your face?"

"Oh, just thinking of ways to torment someone!" Harry responded casually.

"Oh my! May I know the name of that unlucky fellow?" Daphne enquired curiously.

Harry smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He however didn't elaborate any further.

Realizing that no answer was forthcoming, Daphne decided to move on to another topic. "Nice trick back there Potter. Never thought you had it in you!"

Harry mock scowled. Daphne was always like that, full of sarcasm and witty humor and possessed the sharpest tongue than anyone he had met before. She was a fun person to be with once you got past her 'Ice Queen' façade that she projected around everyone. Harry actually found her company to be thought provoking and a breath of fresh air. Ron and Hermione were good company but more often than not he got tired of Ron's laziness and constant whining and Hermione's bossy attitude, not to mention the constant bickering between Ron and her. Daphne on the other hand was hard working and had her own unique sarcasm filled witty way of inspiring people. Harry often joined her in the library (secretly, of course) and they spent a lot of time in a secluded corner doing their homework while a verbal battle of wit and sarcasm raged on between them.

"Why thanks for your vote of confidence Daphne!" Harry remarked sarcastically. "And sorry to disappoint you, it wasn't me. It was Dumbledore"

"And here I was hoping to learn that from you!"Daphne sighed."Ah well, see you around Potter. And Harry…..next time don't scare me like that" Daphne said softly, looking away.

"Sure Daphne!" Harry said automatically as she walked away. In reality he was surprised. In the few months that they had known each other, she had always been a little cold and distant. True, it was less in case of him, but still. So her concern and the underlying fear really took him by surprise.

Harry sighed deeply. After his conversation with Daphne, he did not fancy going up to the Gryffindor Tower where no doubt the entire House was waiting to interrogate him and frankly, he was in no mood for that.

"Thanks a lot, Drake!"Harry grumbled sarcastically. "Nice of you to pull a stunt, and then leave me to clean up the mess."

"Well, the alternative didn't seem very appropriate at the time!" an amused voice spoke from somewhere to his right. Harry jumped at the voice and scowled when he spotted Drake leaning casually against the wall, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Jumpy, aren't we?" Drake teased.

"Shut up!" Harry glared at him for a moment before a smile broke out on his face and he hugged him. "Thanks for coming and saving me!"

"Well I couldn't afford to let you die after I put so much time and effort on you, now can I?"Drake asked teasingly. Harry broke the hug and glared at him. "By the way, nice flying and congratulations on your win!" Drake continued more seriously.

"Thanks!" Harry said earnestly. "By the way what the hell happened there?" he asked a little worriedly.

"Snape and Quirell happened" Drake said gravely.

"What do you mean?"

"Well they both were muttering non-stop, well at least until your friend Hermione set fire to Snape's robes. I am guessing that one of them was cursing your broom while the other one was muttering a counter curse. Or maybe both were cursing your broom."

"I bet it was Snape who was doing the cursing! The git!" Harry muttered angrily.

"I think it was Quirell."

Harry looked at Drake incredulously, "You got to be joking! That man can't string two words properly to save his life! His DADA lessons are a goddamn joke."

"It's a hunch and my hunches are usually correct. I have a feeling that there's more to him than meets the eye."

Harry looked skeptical. "I still feel its Snape. That man hates me and as much as I have seen him, he is much more skilled than Quirell! So he's got both motive and skill. It's got to be him!" Harry said with conviction.

"Alright, you have got a point. But…" Drake looked unconvinced." Say what, keep an eye on both of them!"

"Ok."

"By the way Harry…" Drake's eyes glinted with mischief and Harry immediately became wary. "Nice catch!" Drake said, pointing his thumb in the direction where Daphne had gone. "Now I understand why you decided to bump into her."

Harry let out a frustrated sigh though his cheeks colored slightly. "For the last time Drake, I did not _decide_ to bump into her. It was sort of an accident."

Drake rolled his eyes as if to say 'yeah right!'

"So Snape and Dumbledore put you through the grill?"

"Yeah! Although it was nothing that I couldn't handle" Harry waved away Drake's concern dismissively. "Your memory diversion technique works like a charm! Even after using it for so many times, its effectiveness and simplicity still surprises me."

Drake grinned. Showing your opponents what you want them to see while making them believe that they are seeing what they want to see was one of the most effective ways to protect your mind while at the same time hiding your skill from everyone.

"Glad it helped! Well, it's getting late. You should go and get ready to face the interrogation squad….or maybe you can ignore them and go after your lady friend!" Drake added, grinning madly before disappearing, but not before he heard Harry grumble.

"Bloody tease!"

xxxxxxxxx

"Can we please go back now?" Drake pleaded for the umpteenth time.

"For Merlin's sake Drake, stop whining! It's only shopping! You are acting as if…as if I had asked you to dance naked in the middle of the street or something!" Tonks exclaimed exasperatedly.

"For your information shopping in the company of women is just as embarrassing for us guys!" Drake protested. "I still can't believe you two tricked me into coming with you!" Drake huffed, eliciting a giggle from Tonks and a chuckle from Jasmine, both of whom were walking alongside him as they made their way to the next dress shop on their list.

It was Christmas. Drake had got up a little earlier than usual in order to make preparations for what undoubtedly would be an extremely busy day. As expected the pub was bursting to the brim within moments of opening it. Drake was busy catering to the needs of the numerous customers when he was interrupted by a rather severe and stately looking middle-aged woman. She was accompanied by a younger and pretty brunette. The older woman introduced herself as Amelia Bones, Head of DMLE while her escort turned out to be an Auror.

"Mr. Jones you are required to come with us to the Ministry this instant." The brunette stated in an official tone. "It has recently come to our notice that you are an immigrant from India and are yet to register your name with the Ministry."

Drake was shocked. How the hell did they find this out! As far as he remembered only Tom, Harry and Tonks knew this. Did Tom or Tonks rat him out? No, they wouldn't do that! But it was either that or the Ministry had suddenly become extremely efficient. Drake pondered over the situation. He had heard about Amelia. According to everyone she was extremely efficient in her job. But still these sort of things were too trivial for her to get involved in. Drake decided to voice his thought.

Amelia chuckled."No job is small. Besides we were merely in the area and decided to take care of the job before we headed to the Ministry."

"What am I expected to do at the Ministry?"

"Oh nothing painful! Just some forms need to be filled and then you can be on your way."

"Ok! Let me get ready and then we can go." Amelia nodded in acceptance.

Fifteen minutes later the group appeared in a narrow dingy alleyway. Drake swayed a little on the spot, he hated Apparating. Unfortunately he didn't know the entrance to the Ministry and so he was unable to use his usual method of transportation. He looked around and saw a fashionable dress shop across the street. He vaguely recalled that Tonks had once raved about the quality of dresses found there.

"Where to now?" Drake enquired. He had heard from Tonks that entrances to magical places were often located in rather weird places. Drake vaguely wondered if any of the dustbins lying around in the alley was the entrance to the Ministry. He was, therefore, a little surprised when Amelia grinned widely and pointed at the dress shop across the street.

"The entrance to the Ministry is inside there?" Drake asked.

"No, silly!" Amelia grinned even wider. Drake's jaw dropped to the floor when she promptly transformed into a giggling pink-haired witch.

"T-Tonks?" Drake stuttered. To add to his shock the brunette waved her wand, cancelling her glamour charms and revealing herself to be a dirty blonde haired witch in her mid-twenties.

"J-Jasmine, you too?"

"He's rather eloquent today, isn't he?" Tonks observed. Jasmine nodded in agreement.

"What's going on?" Drake asked looking from Tonks to Jasmine and back again.

"Welll…we, that is to say you, me and Jasmine, are going shopping around London today!" Tonks said excitedly.

Drake was still trying to wrap his head around the weird turn of events. "You mean to say that you two practically kidnapped me from the pub to take me…shopping?" Drake asked incredulously.

"Yup!" Tonks chirped cheerfully.

Drake rubbed his temple in exasperation. "Thanks, but no thanks." He turned around to leave but Tonks grabbed hold of his hand.

"Please Drake, just for one day!" Tonks pleaded.

"Damn it Tonks! It's perhaps the busiest day at the pub. Tom will need me to handle so many customers" Drake said angrily.

"Hmmph! He used to handle them just fine before you joined up. As far as I have seen, he has gotten real lazy lately."

"Besides, he knows!" Jasmine said from behind Tonks.

"What do you mean 'he knows'?" Drake asked confused.

"I mean that he knows that you are with us and that you are going to be spending the entire day with us."

"What?"

"You see, Tonks here threatened to curse Tom if and I quote 'he didn't get his lazy arse of the stool and did his share of work'. Then she 'convinced' Tom to give you the Christmas day off." Drake looked at Tonks who was wearing a smug look on her face.

Drake was amazed and if he was honest with himself, almost pleased. _Almost!_ While he was extremely thankful to Tonks for getting him the day off, he didn't want to spend the day shopping. He had heard from his male customers that going shopping with girls was a torturous experience. No, he had to find some way to escape.

"Thanks, but I still don't understand why I have to go shopping with you girls. I mean I would just be standing around doing nothing!"

"Well, for one you will be helping us in selecting your clothes."

"What? But…but Tonks I don't have any money on me at present." Drake sputtered.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I am sure you will pay us back afterwards. Also consider it as a thank you for the wonderful gift you gave me." Tonks said and hugged Drake, taking him by surprise. "It was very thoughtful."

"You liked it?" Drake asked softly.

"Loved it! It was the best present anyone has ever given me." Tonks muttered emotionally. Tonks pulled away from the hug and Drake was startled to see her eyes sparkling with tears but the soft smile she wore showed that they were tears of happiness.

"Thanks for your gift too! It will be very helpful for my job."

"Alright you two, enough with the mushy stuff!" Jasmine said grinning, though she herself looked a little emotional.

"Right…shopping! Come on Drake!" and before Drake could protest any further, Tonks quickly transfigured their clothes to appropriate muggle attire and practically dragged him across the street with an amused Jasmine following closely.

That had been three hours ago. Presently Drake found himself walking beside Tonks as they made their way to the fourth shop in their little shopping trip.

"Haven't we bought enough?" Drake grumbled.

"Nope!" Tonks said cheerfully.

Drake let out a frustrated sigh. "Look Tonks, I really appreciate this but frankly I don't need so many clothes."

"Of course you do!"

"And why's that?" Drake asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well as per my agreement with Tom, you will be getting some free time from now on. You will be spending much of your free time in my company and I want my friend to be dressed properly." Tonks said firmly.

"And what made you think that I would want to spend my free time with you if I have to go through this torture for it?"

Tonks suddenly stepped in front of Drake, startling him. She then lightly put her arms around Drake's neck. Drake's breath caught in his throat as he looked into Tonk's violet eyes. "Well, because I am smart, cheerful, hot and most importantly, I am your favorite girl!" Tonks gave a seductive wink at the end and roared with laughter when Drake blushed furiously and wore a gobsmacked expression on his face.

"I think you broke him" Jasmine said, desperately trying to stifle the unladylike giggles.

After a few moments, Drake regained his composure and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. He looked around and saw Tonks giggling madly.

"You should have seen the look on your face." Tonks said, trying and failing to stifle her giggles.

"Pleased to know that my embarrassment causes you much amusement" Drake said annoyed, though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Jasmine looked on from the sidelines, greatly amused at their antics. From the little time she had known Tonks, she had realized that Tonks was a huge flirt and always had a witty statement or sexual innuendo ready for any occasion. Tonks had been somewhat dismayed when she had initially failed to make Drake blush like a child by her teasing and flirting. Since then she had upped the ante and if what Tonks had told her was to be believed, had made him blush five times till now.

Jasmine had also felt that Tonks was somewhat taken with Drake. Most of her stories revolved around him and she was most animated when she talked about him. Tonks may not have realized it but Jasmine felt that Tonks saw Drake as more than a friend.

Jasmine chuckled as she followed a protesting Drake and a cheerful Tonks (Tonks was practically dragging Drake) down the road. She couldn't help but think that they looked good together.

xxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, the shopping trip was finally over, much to Drake's relief. It had been a torturous and embarrassing four hours. Drake had lost count of the number of times he had blushed that day. Tonks had used every opportunity to mercilessly tease him. She had asked him if he required any help in selecting his unmentionables. Then in another shop she had suggested buying some outrageous clothes to him. Drake had felt that he would rather die than be seen wearing those clothes. One such dress was an outrageous pink t-shirt with 'Kiss Me' written on its front in bold and shocking red color. According to Tonks, it was to help him with his 'girl problem'. Tonks had been rather shocked when she had found out that Drake had never kissed a girl nor had he been in any sort of relationship with a girl before. She had promptly taken it upon herself to solve this so called 'girl problem', much to the dismay of Drake. The t-shirt incident had left Drake dumbstruck for exactly 10 minutes, something which Tonks had been kind enough to inform him.

"Finally it's over!" Drake let out a huge sigh. "Let's get back and we can have lunch at the bar."

"Oh, I forgot to mention, today we are having lunch in Hogsmeade."

Drake perked up. "Isn't that the village near Hogwarts?"

"The very same. So shall we?" Tonks asked, smiling.

"Absolutely!"

"You guys go without me. I just remembered that I have some urgent work to do." Jasmine said.

"You promised that you would spend the day with us."Tonks said, disappointed.

"Sorry dear!" Jasmine apologized.

"We'll miss you Jasmine" Drake said, hugging her. Jasmine had somewhat taken the role of an elder sister in Drake and Tonks' life. Tonks had introduced Jasmine to Drake a few days after that fateful night. Jasmine had been extremely curious about what spell Drake had used to heal Tonks. After much pestering from both ladies, Drake had caved in and told them that he had used no spell. He had merely willed his magic to do what needed to be done. Both ladies had been shocked and very much awed by the revealation.

"Have fun guys!" Jasmine winked at them and Disapparated. Drake had a strange feeling that Jasmine had some ulterior motive behind her sudden need to leave.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hogsmeade was a small and the only all magical village in Britain. Dressed in Christmas decorations and with a thick layer of snow covering the streets and rooftops, Hogsmeade looked like a fairy tale village straight out of a Christmas greeting card.

It was snowing heavily but despite it and the mind-numbing cold, there was no shortage of people on the streets. The shops and restaurants were heavily crowded and Drake wondered if they would be able to find an empty seat in whichever restaurant Tonks was planning on taking him. They stopped outside a pub cum restaurant which was curiously named Three Broomsticks. It seemed to be one of the more popular places judging by the fact that it was even more crowded than the other shops.

"I don't think we will be able to find a seat here" Drake said while pulling his scarf more securely around his ears.

"No matter, I just want to get away from the cold" Tonks said through chattering teeth.

Surprisingly they did manage to find an empty table. They chatted happily about trivial things as they devoured their food. After that Tonks took Drake on a trip through Hogsmeade, showing her favorite shops and often stopping to purchase some things she wanted. It came as no surprise to Drake when her favorite shop turned out to be a joke shop called Zonko's. Tonks purchased something called Dungbombs from there. When inquired about their purpose, Tonks winked and said that were New Year present for Carl. Next they stopped by a ramshackled house called Shrieking Shack. According to Tonks, it was supposed to be haunted.

"Tonks, I can't tolerate this cold anymore. Let's just get a glimpse of Hogwarts and go back to the Leaky Cauldron." Drake said, shivering.

"Yeah sure!"

A few minutes later, much to Drake's puzzlement, they were entering Honeydukes, a sweetshop which they had passed by earlier. Drake shrugged, thinking that Tonks must be wanting to buy some sweets. However his curiosity returned when instead of going towards the counter, Tonks led him towards the back of the shop.

"Tonks, I don't think we should be going in there."

"Shh! Just follow me" Tonks whispered.

They entered the backroom which was filled with the shop's excess stock. Drake curiously watched as Tonks examined the floor before opening a concealed hatch. Tonks beckoned Drake to follow her as she entered the newly revealed passageway. She closed the hatch behind Drake and lighted her wand. "Follow me!" Tonks said. Drake copied her actions before following her.

"Tonks, where does this passage lead?"

"Hogwarts!"

Drake was shocked. "Really? How did you find out about it?"

Tonks grinned and told Drake about a magical map of Hogwarts which she had nicked from the caretakers office in her first year. The map apparently showed all occupants of Hogwarts and every single path leading in or out of it.

"It's the main reason why I never got caught."

"Drake chuckled. "So how many times have you used this passage?"

Tonks grinned. "I have lost count. Suffice it to say that I hardly ever visited Hogsmeade the normal way!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Drake chuckled.

They walked for another 10 minutes and just when Drake was starting to get impatient, they reached a dead end or rather the exit. Tonks was just about to tap the stone that was blocking their path with her wand when she swore loudly.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked worriedly.

"Shit! I just realized that I don't have the map on me. Without it I won't be able to tell if someone is present on the other side."

"Oh!" Drake closed his eyes and concentrated on his powers. He expanded his senses and soon felt everything around him come to a halt. At that moment no sound, no smell, no physical being existed. What existed were Drake and a human shaped block of energy beside him. Drake further expanded his senses and pushed it beyond the blocked exit. Moments later, he opened his eyes and found Tonks looking at him curiously.

"The coast is clear" Drake stated.

Tonks was dumbstruck. "What? How did you know?"

"I can sense people in my vicinity if I focus"

Tonks looked awed. "Wow! That's one hell of a useful talent!" Then Tonks tapped the stone which slid from its place to reveal a well-lit corridor.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Tonks said spreading out her arms in a dramatic fashion. Drake chuckled and stepped out of the passage.

"Ok, before we begin our tour, we need to cast Disillusionment Charm on ourselves. You know the charm, don't you?" Tonks asked.

Drake smirked. "I do but I think I have a better idea." Tonks looked questioningly at him. "Invisibility Charm!"

Tonks looked gobsmacked. "Does such a charm even exist?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course it does!" Drake said, annoyed that Tonks doubted him. He pulled out his wand and tapped once on his and Tonks' head. Tonks felt a cold sensation spreading through her body and shuddered involuntarily.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Drake asked innocently.

"Well, you are still visible!" Tonks said frustrated.

"Of course I am!"

"Isn't an Invisibility Charm supposed to make you _invisible_?"

"We _are_ invisible, but only to others, not to each other." Drake grinned.

Tonks' jaw dropped to the floor. "Y-you mean s-selective invisibility?" she stuttered. Then she rushed towards Drake, startling him and grabbed hold of his hand. "You have got to teach me that! Please please pretty please!" Tonks pleaded excitedly, bouncing on her feet with puppy dog eyes on full blast.

Drake stroked his chin mock thoughtfully. "I don't know Tonks, that's a pretty big request! What can you offer me in return?"

Tonks looked a bit apprehensive. "What do you want?"

"Will you promise to never share this knowledge with anyone?"

"Yes!"

Drake smiled deviously. "Will you promise that you will use it to cause mayhem at the Academy?"

Tonks smiled evilly. "Oh, yes!"

"Will you promise to use it to give Carl some of his worst memories?"

"Absolutely!" Tonks purred.

"Will you share the stories of your exploits with me?"

"YES YES YES!"

"Then Tonks I will definitely teach you this spell!"

Tonks hugged Drake fiercely. "You are the best Drake!"

As they started walking, Tonks smiled and shook her head, "Will you ever cease to surprise me?"

"I hope not!" Drake quipped.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, Tonks stood slumped against the wall, panting heavily while Drake watched with an amused smile on his face.

The two hour tour of Hogwarts had been fun but tiring. Tonks had shown Drake the numerous hidden shortcuts and passages present throughout the castle and told him stories of how she used to use them to escape from teachers or to sneak in the occasional snog. She had also shown him the various classrooms and the entrances of the four Houses. However, to Drake, the highlight of the tour had been when Tonks caught the caretaker's cat Mrs. Norris unawares with a spell that dressed her in a cute pink wedding gown and a wreath of flower to go with it. The sight had made Drake roll around in laughter and it was thanks to a quick silencing charm from Tonks that had prevented the cat from becoming aware of their presence. When he had asked her about the reason behind that particular dressup, Tonks said that she was certain that Filch, who was the caretaker, and Mrs. Norris were in a _serious_ relationship and the dress might provoke Filch to finally take the next logical step. That had made Drake laugh even harder, this time accompanied by Tonks.

"I am glad to see that my distress causes you amusement." Tonks said, annoyed. "How come you are not tired even a bit?"

Drake chuckled. "I wake up at dawn and exercise for two hours _every day_, Tonks" Drake said with an air of informing someone that brooms were made of wood. Drake knew that Tonks was not a morning person and the only exercise she did was while dodging curses in a duel. "Come on let's sit in that classroom. It will give us more privacy."

They entered the classroom and found it to be an unused one. Broken desks and chairs were scattered everywhere. What caught their eye, however, was a large rectangular mirror standing in the middle of the room. It looked extremely out of place and looked as if it had been placed there recently.

"What the hell is a mirror doing here?" Tonks asked, perplexed. "Ah well, I can at least use it to straighten myself out." She moved over and stood in front of the mirror. Then she gasped and took a step back.

"What's wrong Tonks?" Drake asked in concern.

Tonks kept staring at the mirror and didn't reply immediately. Then an awed smile broke out on her face. "I do not see my reflection! I look older and I am in my base form. I am also Head Auror and…I am married!"

"Wha-?"

Tonks stared longingly at the mirror. "Drake, do you think this mirror shows our future?"

"I don't know…" Drake examined the mirror closely. He noticed some inscriptions on its intricately designed frame. After studying them, he looked at Tonks sadly. "It shows our heart's deepest desire."

"I hope it comes true someday." Tonks muttered. Drake put an arm around her shoulder. "So do I, Tonks, so do I."

"Step in front of the mirror, Drake. Let's see what your desire is."

Drake looked a bit uncomfortable at the prospect but did as he was told nonetheless. In the mirror, he saw his older self lying on his deathbed. On one side of the bed were two kids, obviously his, and on the other side was an old woman who was holding his hand and seemed to be crying. His wife! Her face was hidden by her graying hair. Drake stared wistfully at the image, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"What do you see Drake?" Tonks asked eagerly. She was taken aback when Drake turned to face her. Even though he was smiling, it was a sad smile. But it was his eyes that shocked Tonks. They looked so much older, as though they have seen things no sixteen year old should have seen. They looked like the eyes of some of the battle hardened Auror instructors at the Academy, only much more old.

"Drake…?" Tonks asked tentatively.

Drake sighed and his smile faded. He glanced at the mirror and whispered, "A wish that will never be fulfilled."

"Drake, wha-?" Tonks began to say.

"We have much left to see and it's getting late. Let's continue with the tour." Drake interrupted Tonks and putting his arm around her shoulder, led her out of the room.

Later that night when Tonks finally crawled under her blanket, her thoughts turned to the adventures of that day and…to Drake. She wondered what he might have seen in that mirror that had made him so sad. And those eyes…! She had always felt that there was more to Drake than meets the eye. She pondered over the mystery that was Drake. She shifted slightly in an effort to get more comfortable and her eyes fell on a framed photograph on her bedside table. It was the Christmas present from Drake. She picked it up and regarded it fondly. It was a photograph of Drake and herself, taken when they went to see a movie a few weeks back. The photograph in itself was nothing special but the note that accompanied it had made her cry and laugh with happiness at the same time.

'Just Tonks and the Insufferable Bartender'

A simple sentence that spoke volumes about how much their friendship meant to Drake. She had been extremely happy when Drake said that he liked her present. She had been afraid that he may not like her present since she firmly believed that an Instant Grease Remover was nowhere near as thoughtful and personal gift as Drake's was.

She wondered how in such a short time they had become such good friends. Ever since that fateful day, their friendship had grown in leaps and bounds. Since that day she had found herself spending most of her free time at the pub. Sometimes she and Drake went out for dinner or a movie after Drake's shift ended. In just two and half months, Drake had become her best friend!

Tonks smiled softly as she put the photo back on the table. As she turned off the lights, she whispered, "Good night and sweet dreams, my friend!" before drifting off to sleep.

_**A/N2: I wanted to end Harry's first year in this chapter but this idea came to me out off the blue! I know the shopping scene is kind of cliché but I have tried to make things a little original. Hope you like it! And for those who still haven't figured out who Harry's LI will be, check the summary.**_

_**The next chapter will end Harry's first year but I don't think I will be able to upload it before September. I am presently buried up to my neck in coursework.**_

_**Don't forget to review!**_


	8. Flames of Purity

**Flames of Purity**

**A/N: Well here's the full chapter as promised. Enjoy!**

'Text' – Thoughts/Mind speaking

* * *

The room was near pitch black. A lone candle was the only source of light in the room. Its soft glow illuminated a piece of parchment that lay on the table. A lone figure sat in front of it with its head bowed down and eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. There was a flash of light a few feet behind the figure. The figure, however, didn't even twitch a muscle and one may assume that it was not even aware of the incident.

'What's troubling you my friend?'

'He has returned and much sooner than I expected.'

There was a brief silence. 'Is Harry ready?'

'I don't know. But it doesn't matter anymore. Harry will have to face him soon enough.'

'What about your contingency plan?'

'The Flames of Purity works. It saved Harry in the Forbidden Forest and hopefully it will do so again. But you as well as I know its limits. I am not willing to bet everything on it. Keep watch over him, my friend.'

A soothing reassuring melodious trill was all the answer the figure got before there was another flash of light, leaving the figure alone and returning the room to its previous state of darkness.

* * *

What does a person feel prior to meeting an associate of the man who had murdered his parents? What does he feel knowing that that only he stands between that associate and the Philosopher's Stone, a stone that is capable of producing the Elixir of Immortality? What does he feel knowing that his parent's murderer may also be present and he may himself die at his hands just like his parents?

Fear

That was exactly what 11 year old Harry Potter was feeling as he stared at the flames that barred the entrance to the last chamber. Yet mixed with the said emotion was a sense of determination, determination to not allow Voldemort or his accomplice to get their hands on the stone, no matter the cost. Also for some reason, Harry felt morbid amusement as he stared at the tiny vial in his hand, the vial that held the potion he needed to consume to safely traverse through the flames. He couldn't help but chuckle darkly as he recalled the so called _protections_ that Dumbledore and his staff had implemented to prevent Voldemort from reaching the stone. A Cerberus that is unimaginatively named Fluffy, Devil's Snare, a plant that is coincidentally part of the first year curriculum, flying keys, a troll that was already unconscious by the time he, Ron, Hermione and Neville had reached it, a giant chess set and a potion puzzle; Harry couldn't help but wonder that if a couple of first years can beat the protections, how the hell were they supposed to have stopped Voldemort.

Harry shook his head in an effort to clear it. He had more pressing concerns than to ponder about Dumbledore's foolishness. He took a deep breath and downed the contents of the vial in one gulp. He shuddered at the icy sensation that spread throughout his body.

"Well here goes nothing!" Harry muttered and stepped into the flames. He tensed up and closed his eyes, preparing himself to feel the scorching heat of the flames. But it never came. He cracked open one of his eyes and saw the black flames gently licking his body but not harming him in any way.

Stepping out of the flames, he got the first glimpse of the chamber. It looked like a miniature version of the Roman Colosseum. In the middle of the room stood a familiar looking mirror. It was the same mirror that had showed him his parents; the Mirror of Erised. Only problem was that there was already someone standing in front of it.

"Quirrell!" Harry breathed.

"How nice of you to join me! Master was sure that you would be coming." Quirrell replied not looking at Harry, his focus solely on the mirror.

"Master? You mean Voldemort? Is he with you?" Harry asked, looking around warily.

"Master is always with me."

'That's odd! I don't see anyone else here and as far as I remember I've never seen anyone with Quirrell before' Harry thought, perplexed.

"So you were the one that cursed my broom." Harry asked in an effort to distract Quirrell and buy more time for Dumbledore to arrive. He had sent Hermione and Neville along with an injured and unconscious Ron to send a letter to Dumbledore who was away on business.

"Yes" Quirrell muttered absently while slowly running his fingers along the frame of the mirror.

"And you were the one that was… drinking unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest!"

"Yes. Now be quiet!" Quirrell muttered irritably, waving his hand. "I need to examine this interesting mirror. It seems to be the key to getting to the stone. I can see myself presenting it to my Master. But how do I reach it? Should I break the glass? Help me Master!"

Harry wondered if Quirrell had gone mad. He tried to speak in an effort to distract Quirrell but found himself unable to speak. 'Damn it!' He was busy thinking of his next move when he heard the most chilling and terrifying voice in his life. It was high-pitched and as cold as ice.

"Use the boy!"

"Come here boy!" Quirrell shouted, rounding on Harry.

Quirrell's voice snapped Harry out of his horror-struck trance. He jumped back a few paces and pointed his wand at Quirrell. Inwardly he was shaking with fear since he had absolutely no idea how to cast spells non-verbally. Quirrell laughed at his bravado and snapped his fingers. Harry felt himself going rigid and floated helplessly toward Quirrell. He was made to stand in front of the mirror and with his eyes wide open and his body not responding to his commands, he was unable to look away from the mirror. He saw his parents standing behind him as usual but then his father held up his hand and Harry saw that he was holding a blood red stone. His father smiled and put the stone in the jeans pocket of his image. At the same moment Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow, miraculously, he had got the stone!

"What do you see?" Quirrell asked impatiently.

"I see myself holding the Quidditch Cup." Harry invented wildly. He realized that he was able to speak. Quirrell must have removed the Silencing spell from him.

Quirrell snarled in frustration and roughly pushed Harry out of the way. Harry, who was still under full body bind, crashed painfully on to the cold hard floor. He winced from the pain and was desperately looking for a way out of his predicament when that cold high-pitched voice spoke again.

"He lies!"

Quirrell snarled and reached out towards Harry intending to search his clothes. Harry tried in vain to free himself. However the moment Quirrell's hand came within a few centimeters of Harry's body, bluish-white flames erupted around Harry and enveloped him. Quirrell jumped back howling in pain. Harry saw with morbid fascination that Quirrell's right hand was severely burnt and was sporting several angry blisters.

Normally when strange flames suddenly erupt around a person, that person panics but to Harry the entire situation felt like déjà vu. The same flames had appeared when he was serving detention in the Forbidden Forest after the incident involving Hagrid's pet dragon, Norbert. At that time he had thought that he was imagining things. He was already panicked by the blood drinking monster bearing down upon him and therefore he had believed that the flames were a figment his imagination. He was further confused and puzzled by the words of Firenze, the centaur.

"You are a lucky one, young Harry, to be blessed by the Eternal Beings."

He and Hermione had scoured the library for information regarding the Eternal Beings but had found nothing. Hermione had taken it as a personal insult. He had even asked Drake but even he didn't know anything about them.

"I wish to speak to him." The cold voice brought Harry out of his thoughts.

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrell sobbed while cradling his arm.

"Quiet!"

Quirrell nodded but looked afraid. 'What's the hell is going on here?' Harry thought. Harry flinched as Quirrell let out a blood-curling scream and fell down on the floor clutching his turbaned head. Harry tried to scramble as far away from Quirrell as possible and found that he was able to move. It seemed that the flames had not only burnt Quirrell's hand but also neutralized all the spells put on him.

He could escape. He had the stone and Quirrell was kneeling on the floor and screaming his head off. He was also free of the body bind. Nothing would prevent his escape, yet for some unknown reason, Harry stood rooted to his spot watching Quirrell with horrified fascination.

Ultimately Quirrell's screams ceased and he stood up panting. He raised his head and Harry jumped back in fear and shock. Staring at him were not Quirrell's eyes but eyes which he had only seen glimpses of in his nightmares. They were blood red and the most disturbing part was that there were no whites in those eyes nor any irises. Everything was just red.

Quirrell smiled a terrible smile. "Hello Harry Potter, I am Lord Voldemort."

Staring into the eyes of his parent's murderer, Harry couldn't do a thing. He was paralysed with fear. His mind screamed at him to do something, to move, to flee, to attack, _anything_, but his body wasn't responding to its commands.

"I think you have something that I need. Why don't you hand over the stone in your pocket."

'So he knew, but how?' Harry thought and then cursed himself for the lapse of his Occlumency shields. He snapped them back up and took a step back.

Voldemort looked momentarily surprised but then sneered, "Don't be foolish boy. You don't want to die like your parents, do you? Did you know that they died begging at my feet for mercy?"

"YOU LIE!" Harry yelled.

Voldemort sneered. "How touching! Yes, they were very brave. They died fighting like true warriors. I always liked such people. You are also brave… and powerful. You are already an Occlumens and I especially liked that nifty trick you performed at the match. You have so much potential. Join me Harry and together we will rule the world. Let us not dwell in the past. Give me the stone and together we will find a way to bring your parents back to life."

Harry stared at Voldemort, deep in thought. Was it possible to get his parents back? All the answers lay in his pocket. Momentarily the faces of his parents flashed before his eyes. He knew what he had to do.

Slowly Harry took out the stone. "Fine, you can have the stone… and I will join you." He tossed the stone towards Voldemort.

Voldemort watched greedily as the stone sailed towards him. 'Foolish boy!' he thought.

"Then again… maybe not!" Harry smirked. He raised his wand and pointed it, not at Voldemort but at the stone and shouted, "REDUCTO!"

"NOOOOOO!" Voldemort cried out in anger as the curse reduced the stone to dust. Enraged beyond measure, Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry who was clutching his scar in agony but at the same time smirking mockingly at him. "YOU INSOLENT BRAT! HOW DARE YOU? NOW DIE! AVADA KE…"

He never got to finish the curse because at that moment there was a bright flash of light above them and from it emerged the most magnificent bird Harry had ever laid his eyes on. It was a beautiful pure white bird with blue highlights on its wings and head. It was writhed in bluish-white flames. Overall the bird looked both magnificent as well as deadly.

Voldemort's eyes widened as the bird swooped down on him. He dodged it and sent a curse towards it but the bird simply disappeared in a flash of flames. It reappeared on the other side of the room and repeated its earlier routine.

In the haze of pain from his scar, Harry thought that he may have imagined it when he felt that that for the briefest second the bird had looked directly at him and jerked its head towards Voldemort. He would later wonder how he knew what needed to be done but at that moment he got up and lunged at Voldemort. The moment his hands came in contact with Voldemort, his scar exploded in pain while at the same time the flames reemerged and enveloped both him and Voldemort. Voldemort screamed and writhed in pain and tried to throw him off but Harry held on. In the haze of pain, Voldemort's screams and the strangely soothing trill of the mysterious bird, Harry felt a burning sensation on his forehead. He felt the edges of his vision blacking out and the last thing he heard before darkness consumed him was the voice of someone calling his name.

* * *

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Silence

KNOCK! "Drake, are you alright?" Tonks yelled.

Silence

Tonks stood outside Drake's room wondering what to do next. She had been knocking on his door and calling his name for the past 10 minutes with no response and she was starting to get a little worried. She knew that something was wrong the moment he had failed to show up at her house at the usual time for their morning jogging and exercise routine. Drake was anything but lazy and hadn't missed the agreed upon time even by a minute during the last four months, something which her mother had been extremely impressed with, and she herself, less than pleased. She still wondered how Drake had managed to convince her to undergo the fitness regime. Getting up at 4:00 in the morning! She mused if she had ever got up before 8 in her life!

Tonks debated with herself whether she should call Tom or leave. Then a rather mischievous idea popped into her head. She was still a bit hesitant on following up on the idea but she suppressed it thinking that he would surely appreciate a good prank. Moreover, she argued, that as a good friend it was her duty to at least check on him. After all, he may be ill. Coming to a decision, Tonks pointed her wand at the door-knob and muttered,

"Alohomora!"

The inside of the room was dark since it was barely dawn and the curtains were drawn. With a flick of her wand the curtains parted and light, a mixture of the light from the streetlights and the soft early morning light, flooded the room. That sight that met her eyes, though somewhat expected, nevertheless made her blush heavily. Drake was absolutely fine and fast asleep on his bed. He was lying on his stomach and sometime during the night the blanket had slipped his muscled and well toned torso. Tonks was of course well aware of the fact that Drake had a figure of an athlete due to the number of times she had discreetly checked him out during the exercise sessions, and all those times a rosy blush had never failed to grace her cheeks.

Tonks shook her head and mentally chastised herself for ogling at him at such a time. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and she slowly closed the door and silently crept up to Drake's bed. She stifled a giggle and brought her mouth very close to his ears and said loudly, "GET UP DRAKE!"

The effect was instantaneous. Drake sat up on his bed, his hands over his ears and shouted wildly, "Bloody hell Eli! Not so loud!" He looked around wildly and spotted Tonks who was rolling on the floor in laughter.

"What are you doing in my room Tonks?" Drake asked bemusedly.

Getting her laughter under control, Tonks said while gasping for breath, "I.. came to… check up on you… after you failed to show up."

Drake was still a bit dazed and asked dumbly, "Show up where?"

"At my house… for our morning run."

"Oh shit! What time is it?"

"Fivish."

"Oh good! There's still time." Drake exclaimed and made to get up from the bed when he realized his state of undress and blushed. "Umm… Tonks, can you wait outside while I get ready?"

Tonks grinned mischievously as she watched Drake squirm uncomfortably while pulling the blanket upto his chin.

"Nope! Not until you say who's Eli? Tonks asked, plopping herself down on a nearby chair.

Drake looked at Tonks sharply, "How did you know about Eli?"

Tonks looked a bit taken aback. "Well you woke up screaming 'Bloody hell Eli! Not so loud!'" Drake relaxed visibly at that. "So, who is she? Your secret girlfriend?" Tonks smirked, surprising herself when she felt a slight twinge of jealousy inside her.

Drake's eyes got a faraway look and he smiled fondly. "Eli is my big sister in all but blood. For as long as I remember, I had only her and my teacher for company."

"What about your parents?" Tonks asked curiously. She had told Drake many stories about her childhood but never once had he said anything about his. He had been most reluctant to discuss it and always actively avoided that line of discussion. She always wondered why. Maybe now she would finally get some answers.

Drake smiled sadly. "I never knew them or maybe I just don't remember them. They died very early on in my life. I remember absolutely nothing about my father and the only thing I remember about my mother is the color of her hair. It was as dark as the midnight sky."

"I am sorry Drake"

"It's ok. I don't exactly miss them since I never knew them properly. My teacher or Master as I liked to call him took me in when I was around…six, I think. Eli or Elizabeth was a maid servant in his house. She was around your age at that time and we immediately clicked. I was like her little brother. She later told me that she had no siblings and had always wanted a little brother on whom she can fuss over and I conveniently filled that role." Drake chuckled.

"Master took over my education and whatever I know today is because of him. But he was never a parental figure… I think he never strived to become one either. So it was all up to Eli. She took over every parental task and performed them with aplomb. At that time I was extremely lazy… seriously!" Drake added, noticing Tonks' disbelieving expression. "So Eli used to do what you did a while ago. Then she used to take me outside to the gardens or the nearby forest. She used to teach me the names and uses of various plants and enjoyed telling tales of the forests. She loved the wilds. She used to say that the trees called to her. Maybe they did because she always became more… lively when she was in the wilds. Not that she was less lively outside. In fact to me she always seemed to be brimming with energy and she usually expended them by pulling elaborate pranks on the other inhabitants of the house. And I was always her willing accomplice."

"Looks like I have her to thank for your pranking skills!" Tonks grinned.

Drake chuckled. "Yeah!" Then he sighed, "I miss her Tonks! I liked everything about her. Still do. The way she talked, the way she walked… everything. She had an unnatural grace. She was graceful in everything she did. Hell, she even pranked gracefully!" Drake paused for a moment. "You know, she also has dark black hair. Whenever I tried to picture how my mother used to look, her image always came to my mind. I think a part of me believed that Eli really was my mother." A few tears were rolling down Drake's eyes and even Tonks felt the corners of her eyes stinging.

Suddenly Drake gave a watery chuckle. Tonks looked questioningly at him. Drake gave a small laugh. "When I was around 14… and had just started to… umm… appreciate girls…" Drake blushed while Tonks grinned teasingly, "Eli asked me one day what sort of girls I liked. After hearing my answer her eyes watered. You know that was the first and last time that I ever saw her cry. She was always so strong!"

"What did you tell her?" Tonks asked softly.

Drake smiled. "Someone like you."

Silence fell among the two friends, each lost in their own thoughts. For Tonks it was an illuminating piece of information, something which shed some light on Drake's overall personality. No wonder he was so thoughtful and kind hearted. With a guardian like that who wouldn't be? It also somewhat explained Drake's lack of interest in the numerous girls that fawned over him. They didn't even come close to fulfilling the standard he had set for himself. Piggybacking this particular line of thought a question popped unbidden into her mind: did she matched his standards? Tonks shook her head; she didn't like Drake that way, did she? No, Drake was just her best friend! Those thoughts will ruin her friendship with him.

Meanwhile Drake was reminiscing about the good old days. He wondered what Eli was doing at present; probably she was tending to the flowers. Last he heard from her, she was seeing someone. He wondered if she had been proposed yet!

"I think we will skip the jogging today and only do some light exercises." Drake said, breaking the silence.

Tonks , who was still deep in thought, started at his voice. "What? Oh, yeah!"

Ten minutes later, Tonks and Drake, now fully dressed in a black muscled t-shirt and training pants, Apparated to a deserted park and began warming up.

"So, Mr. Puntual, what's the matter with the sleeping in?" Tonks asked, grinning mischievously.

Drake scoffed. "As if you don't know! It was after all your fault."

"My fault!" Tonks exclaimed indignantly.

"Who was it that wanted to learn to cook? Who blew up half the kitchen while preparing a cup of coffee?" Drake glared at Tonks.

"Umm, sorry about that!" Tonks grinned sheepishly while scratching the back of her neck. "But I had to learn how to cook. " Tonks exclaimed, an edge of desperation creeping into her voice. "You know that mother won't let me move in to my own apartment until I at least learnt how to cook breakfast."

"And with good reason! By the way, why doesn't she herself teach you?"

"She said that she didn't have enough money to rebuild our house." Tonks mumbled quietly, blushing embarrassedly.

Drake burst out laughing much to Tonks' chagrin. "Yeah, I can certainly attest to that. Tom almost banned you from the bar. I had to do a lot of smooth talking to make him change his mind."

Tonks let out a sigh of relief. She would have hated to have been banned from the bar. "But you will still teach me, right?" Tonks asked, puppy dog eyes on full blast.

Drake nodded thoughtfully. "We have to find a secluded spot far away from civilization. I would really hate to bring Judgment Day on London!" Drake teased.

"Ha ha ha! Very funny!"

"You know you can try to learn the Muggle way of cooking. I remember seeing a microwave at your house. So you must be familiar with such appliances."

"Yeah, but magical way is so much faster!"

"Not necessarily! Besides Muggle methods are less risky and they come with manuals, so you can learn yourself if necessary."

Tonks looked thoughtful. Then she smiled. "That's not a bad idea at all! I may do just that. Thanks Drake!"

"My pleasure!"

After exercising for another hour, they Apparated back to the bar where Drake cooked breakfast for both of them while Tonks apologized profusely to Tom.

They ate in silence for a while before Drake broke it. "So, ready for tomorrow?"

Tonks, who was taking a sip of water, put her glass down. "I think so, or at least I hope so." She stated nervously. "If the pre-tests were any indication, the finals are going to be bloody torturous!"

"Relax Tonks, give your hundred percent and you are going to be fine. I believe in you! And when you pass with flying colors, it will be my pleasure to address you as Auror Tonks." Drake said, smiling encouragingly.

Tonks smiled at his words. She didn't know why but Drake always inspired her in a way no one had ever been able to. A simple word of encouragement, a small smile sent her heart racing and filled her with warmth and confidence.

"Thanks. It means a lot… coming from you. But even if I passed, I will still be a Junior Auror. Although…." she trailed off. "You remember I mentioned Moody coming to the Academy as a guest?"

"The paranoid ex-auror, right?"

"Yeah, that one! It seems that I caught his eye somehow. I received a letter from him yesterday expressing his desire to take me under his wing."

"That's great news, Tonks!"

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? I mean he _was_ the best in the business and after the six month apprenticeship, I will be qualified to become a full Auror! That's six month before the rest of my batch will qualify!" Tonks rambled excitedly.

They celebrated the news over a few glass of wine. Soon thereafter Tonks returned home and Drake busied himself with his duties.

_Later that night :_

It was almost midnight when Drake retired to his room. He had just closed the door when there was a flash of light behind him.

'It has happened!'

Drake whirled around and addressed the magnificent white phoenix perched on the bedpost. 'When?'

'Just now.'

'How's Harry?'

'Unconscious but fine!'

'And the stone? And Quirrell?'

'The stone's been destroyed. Harry himself did it. He is a brave one! And Quirrell's been reduced to a pile of ash.'

Drake let out a relieved sigh. 'So, the plan worked after all!'

'Perfectly! Although…'

'Although what Liara?'Drake asked worriedly.

'The flames seemed to affect Harry also, although to a much lesser extent. I also sensed the presence of evil within him.'

Drake looked thoughtful. 'That's impossible… unless…' Now Drake looked positively alarmed.

Liara picked up his thoughts and said, 'You may be right.'

'This will complicate things… but maybe we can use it to our advantage.'

Liara bobbed her head and trilled beautifully. 'Now with that out of the way, I think I could do with some attention. You haven't stroked my feathers for quite some time.'

Drake rolled his eyes and chuckled at her antics. 'Yes ma'am!'

* * *

_Three days. That's how long he had been unconscious. He had woken up to the smell of potions and had panicked at a rather wild notion that he was in some lab where Voldemort was performing some sick experiment on him. He had slightly calmed down at the sight of Madam Pomfrey but his panic returned with full force as the memories of that night came flooding back to his mind. Madam Pomfrey had assured him that whatever trouble he had gotten himself into has been solved and that he had emerged from it mostly unscathed. The skin around his scar had been badly burnt but the matron had assured him that it had almost healed completely and when healed, would leave no blemishes behind, much to his relief._

_A few moments later Dumbledore had walked in and informed him that the stone had been completely destroyed. 'Yeah right! As if I didn't already know that!' Then he had been interrogated by Dumbledore about the events of that day. He had noticed with particular curiosity that Dumbledore seemed troubled by the appearance of the strange flames and the mystery bird or rather a phoenix as Dumbledore had informed him when he first told him about it. Dumbledore had later claimed that the flames were the protection his mother had given him by sacrificing herself, something about the power of love, but he had got the distinct feeling that Dumbledore himself was not quite sure of it._

_He had been most anxious to meet his fellow adventurers and when they had finally dropped by he had been extremely relieved and happy. He had however immediately noted with some concern that Neville's eyes had a haunted look in them. He had felt guilty about dragging Neville into the mess but with the Fat Lady away on some nighttime excursion, he couldn't just leave Neville behind when he had found him asleep outside the portrait hole, having forgotten the password… again. But seeing the haunted look he had wondered that maybe leaving him behind would have been the wise decision. He had however been impressed when he had seen Neville, whom everybody considered as a nervous, forgetful fool, had held his own against the various odds. He had let Neville know this and saw that he looked slightly happy and even a little proud._

_Ron had looked concerned and quite proud of himself. Well one did not beat a giant magical chess set every day, did one? Ron had also been injured during the process. He came to the conclusion that it was definitely something to be proud of. Ron had informed him that the whole school was buzzing with the rumor that Harry had his hands in the sudden disappearance of Prof. Quirrell and that he had faced Voldemort himself. He had wondered how much hand Ron had in spreading those rumors._

_He had watched fondly as Hermione, being her usual bossy self, fussed about his health and threatened to hex him if he so much as thought of leaving the bed before being fully healed. She had then informed him how worried she had been for the past three days. Among Ron and Hermione, he had always considered Hermione as a better friend. She was bossy and had blind faith in authority figures but her heart was in the right place._

Harry was roused from his thoughts by the sound of the opening of the Hospital wing's door. He squinted a bit in the darkness since it was almost curfew time and brightened up when he saw a familiar figure walking towards him. Daphne walked over to his bedside and greeted him in her usual manner.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Potter?"

"The usual!" Harry did not elaborate further.

"Have you been taking your potions properly?"

"My, my, is the great Daphne Greengrass, the infamous Queen of Ice, actually worried about me?" Harry teased.

"In your dreams, Potter. I just want you back at the school and put a stopper in the mouth of Weasley. He is busy spreading some of the most ridiculous rumors; some tripe about you killing You-Know-Who!" Daphne scowled.

"I wish it was true." Harry muttered quietly.

"What did you say?" Daphne asked, not having caught what he had said.

"Nothing, nothing." Harry sighed.

Daphne opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it. Finally she said, "Well it's almost curfew time and I don't want to get punished. See you around Potter."

"Bye Daphne… and thanks for coming by!"

* * *

Days passed by quickly and soon Harry found himself on the Hogwarts Express. He was in a jovial mood since the previous night Gryffindor had won the House Cup, thanks to the 300 points won by him and his fellow adventurers. He chuckled at the thought that the rest of the school hardly had any idea about the reasons behind winning those points since Dumbledore had been quite vague in his explainations. The sight of Malfoy looking as if he had tasted something foul on hearing the announcement had been precious.

Soon Harry and his friends reached Platform 9 ¾ and Harry found his jovial mood vanishing when he caught sight of his Uncle after crossing the barrier. Ron, Hermione and Neville's assurance that they would write to him had lifted his mood somewhat. As he took his seat at the back of his Uncle's car with his Uncle seating in the front seat and looking as if he was going to burst a vein at any moment, Harry couldn't help but think that it was going to be a long summer. He only hoped that Drake would drop by later that day.

**A/N2: That ends year 1! Phew! Hope you have enjoyed it. I hope you like the name I had chosen for the phoenix. I couldn't help myself. I just love that character from the Mass Effect series. It's my way of giving her a tribute.**

**If you have time, please leave a review, the more detailed the better!**


	9. Impure Motives and a Shattered Heart

**Impure Motives and Shattered Heart**

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

'_Speech of mental counterpart'_

* * *

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody roared.

"A little louder please! I believe someone on the other side of the planet has not heard you." Tonks mocked irritably as she dusted herself off.

"Don't be a smartass with me, kid! It's the mantra that's going to save your ass more times than you can imagine. How do you think I survived during my time? I was always vigilant!" Moody stated chidingly.

"…And paranoid…" Tonks mumbled under her breadth.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Tonks smiled sweetly. 'STUPEFY!'

'PROTEGO!'

And so the practice duel between Tonks and Ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody continued, atleast that's what Moody liked to call it. To Tonks it felt like she was fighting for her life. She had lost count of the number of times she had tasted dirt. Her entire body was aching and it had only been ten minutes since the duel had begun.

'So much for being the best duelist of the Academy!' Tonks grumbled, more than a little annoyed.

It seemed that Moody's reputation of being brutal, unforgiving and efficient was well earned. He was extremely fast on his feet, his hands were a blur during casting and was deadly accurate in his aim. His lessons, in Tonks' more colorful terms were 'a pain in the ass' but Tonks couldn't disagree on the fact that he was perhaps the best teacher she had ever had. She felt that she had learnt more in the first two months of her apprenticeship than she had during the one year at the Academy.

Tonks rolled out of the way as a curse went whistling past her shoulder, missing her by an inch, and fired a Reductor back at Moody without missing a beat.

"You go girl, show him who's boss!" someone shouted from the sidelines.

Tonks inwardly grinned as she recognized the voice of her newest friend and fellow apprentice, Mary Summers. She was a few years older than her and already an Auror but being the only two women in their group of five, she and Tonks had stuck together and quickly became good friends. The other three apprentices, namely Eddie Brookes, Mark Valence and Zakarius Goodweather, were also Auror of various ranks and abilities. Mary and Mark were the outgoing types and therefore had taken a liking to Tonks almost as soon as they met her. Zakarius was the silent take-no-shit type of guy but was friendly enough once you got to know him. Eddie was shy and awkward and a bit of a loner and was the only one with whom Tonks had not much interaction with, although she had noticed him staring at her a few times. Tonks had been a bit apprehensive and rather intimidated of the rest of her batch-mates due to them being older and more experienced, but her fears were quickly unfounded and she thanked the heavens for that since she doubted that she would have been able to survive the apprenticeship program by herself.

Six months of total isolation, that was what the training was all about. Zero contact with friends, family and society in general, with nothing but training to occupy your mind. The training itself was brutal, to put it mildly. They were forced to spend hours poring over books on strategy, listening to Moody go on and on about combat tactics, assault formations and sign languages. Then there were practical sessions related to dueling, stealth and infiltration and assassination. Now usually assassination fell under the domain of Hit Wizards but according to Moody even an Auror should know the basics of silent and traceless killing despite the Ministry claiming otherwise. Then there were life and death combat simulations, teamwork building exercises, physical and mental training and last but not the least, insanely complex combat drills. The schedule was so jam-packed that they rarely had any energy left at the end of the day to do anything other than hit the sack. The only thing or things that kept them going was the knowledge that not only would their skills receive a massive boost after this training but also a grade and pay rise was guaranteed after it. It was not widely known that although Moody had total autonomy over every aspect of the program, the program itself was Ministry sponsored since they didn't want Moody's talents to go to waste.

Tonks hit the floor hard again as a lightning fast Banishing spell hit her.

"Come on Tonks, is that all you've got?" Moody taunted. "I thought I heard a rumor that you were the best duelist in your batch, but I guess that the rumor was just that…a rumor."

Tonks snarled as she got up and hurled an overpowered curse at Moody who casually sidestepped it and hit Tonks with another Banisher. Tonks felt herself get slammed against the wall with agonizing force.

"You are again letting your emotions get the better of you." Moody admonished as Tonks got up gingerly.

'Damnit, he's right! But he's too fast for me and I am tired of losing.' Tonks thought, thoroughly frustrated. She wracked her brains for anything that may help her in this situation. 'What can I do to counter his speed…Speed Enhancement spell…no, he'll just counter with his own, area wide spells…hmm, may work but I don't think I have the energy to pull one off…damn it!...Wait…' Tonks eyes widened as she remembered something. A devious smirk crept up on her face which for some reason unnerved Moody.

'Damn, what's with that smirk! I have a bad feeling about this.'

"Alright, you are going down!" Tonks exclaimed. She tapped her head once with her wand and vanished. Moody's eyes widened, at least his normal one did while the magical began spinning rapidly in its socket trying to locate Tonks.

'What the hell! Where the hell did she go? Even my magical eye can't locate her…that's impossible…it's almost as if she has ceased to exist.' Moody thought, astonished. Not many things could surprise him and the one's that did were usually something extraordinary. Moody was shaken from his thoughts when he felt his wand ripped of his hand. It went soaring through the air and was caught by a widely grinning Tonks who had re-appeared out of thin air.

"How's that old man?" Tonks cheered.

Tonks couldn't help but laugh at the gobsmacked looks of her mentor and friends. 'Yep, greatest prank ever! I managed to make Moody impersonate a gold fish! Drake's gonna be so proud of me." Tonks cheered in her mind. 'I miss you so much!'

It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Drake's complete absence from her life for the past two months had shown Tonks how true the saying was. She missed him terribly, even more so than she had originally anticipated. She missed his warm smiles, his affectionate hugs that never failed to make her feel warm inside, the delicious food he cooked only for her, but most importantly she missed the times they spent pranking, talking about inconsequential things or even in silence. Her first week at the training camp had been terrible. She kept forgetting that she was not at home. She would get up at dawn, get ready for the day and then wait for some time for Drake to pick her up only to remember that it was not possible.

Over the past year, Drake had become an integral part of her life. Her mother had once joked that she should just move in with Drake since she spent more time at the pub than at home anyways. If she was honest with herself she was not totally against the idea at all. She had tried to convince herself many times that Drake was just her friend and it was impossible for something more to happen between them. I mean how could it, he was after all two years younger than her! But the past two months had made it glaringly obvious to her that the feelings she had for him were far stronger than what someone might have for a friend. That admission had made her realize something that she had been trying to deny for sometime; she was in love with Drake. She was not sure whether Drake saw her that way but her feminine intuition said that he did. She blushed when she remembered how Drake had blushed crimson when she had kissed him on the cheek before her departure and the way he stood in a daze almost forgetting to say goodbye to her. Yep, Drake most definitely liked her!

The self-acceptance of her feelings had made Tonks feel as if a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders. But it had also caused a few problems, namely the contents of her latest dreams. The dreams which previously had been about Drake and her kissing each other, had recently been about them doing stuff that usually ended in her waking up in the most compromising positions. Thankfully none of her roommates were aware of her predicament!

"Outstanding!" Moody muttered, effectively bringing everyone out of their stunned gaze and breaking Tonks' line of thoughts. Tonks' cheeks felt warm and was inwardly grateful that everyone was too stunned by her stunt to notice it.

"Outstanding!" Moody repeated. "What spell was that?"

Everyone in the room was surprised that Moody didn't know about the spell, even Tonks, though to a much lesser extent. Drake had told her that it was an incredibly rare spell but Tonks expected at least someone of Moody's caliber to know about the spell.

"Uh, it's an Invisilivity Spell, sir!" Tonks answered.

"Never heard of such a spell before! Where did you learn it?" Moody inquired.

Tonks blushed slightly. "Umm, a friend taught it to me!"

"It certainly is an interesting spell. You went completely off the radar, even my magical eye couldn't see you!" Moody praised, stunning Tonks and her friends.

"Really?!" Tonks exclaimed, shocked.

Moody raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what this spell is capable of?"

Tonks rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I know how it works but I didn't know it was this capable! I only used it because nothing else was working and it had already worked on you once."

"Huh, I don't remember you using this spell on me prior to this!" Moody asked, confused.

"Oh, it was at the time when I pranked you!" Tonks said, somewhat proudly.

"Ah, so that's why I wasn't able to catch you!" Moody exclaimed. "I have always wondered about that. I failed to understand how you evaded my magical eye." Tonks nodded, grinning widely.

"It's a valuable spell for any Auror. Would you mind teaching us that spell?" Moody requested. Tonks' grin faded slowly. She looked around and saw the expectant faces of her batch-mates but knew that she would have to disappoint them.

"I am sorry Moody, but he taught me that spell on the condition that I would never teach it to anyone else. He said that it can be misused in the hands of the wrong people!" Tonks said, feeling sad at the disappointed faces of her friends.

"And pranking people isn't misusing it?" Moody asked incredulously.

"Hey!" Tonks objected indignantly, "He _taught_ me that spell so that I could prank more people!"

Silence reigned in the room as everyone looked at Tonks incredulously. "What?" Tonks asked, somewhat unnerved on suddenly finding herself in the spotlight.

'Is the guy touched in the head or something?' Moody thought. 'Who teaches such a potent spell for pranking others!'

"H-He taught you the spell so that you can prank people?" Moody stuttered. 'Damn, now I am stuttering! This girl is going to completely ruin my reputation!' "Is he mad?"

"Of course not!" Tonks huffed. "He's as sane as me!"

"That's what I was afraid of!" Moody mumbled.

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean?" Tonks cried out indignantly while her friends snickered in the background.

"Alright everyone, take a one hour breather before we move on to stealth exercises." Moody announced, ignoring a scowling Tonks.

Tonks was surrounded by her friends as soon as she got down from the platform.

"That was sooooo cool!" Mary gushed. "_He_ taught you that, didn't he?" Mary smirked mischievously, nudging Tonks with her elbow. Tonks nodded, blushing slightly. Among all the batch-mates, only Mary knew about Drake.

"Is there something you wish to tell us Tonks? Who's this 'he'?" Mark asked, looking from Mary to Tonks. Tonks glared at Mary who just grinned in a way that said 'that's what you get for not teaching us that awesome spell'.

"Drake's just a friend of mine!" Tonks replied, accepting the glass of water offered by Eddie.

"Drake, huh? He must be quite a wizard to know a spell like that!" Mark commented looking impressed.

"He sure is!" Tonks agreed, a fond smile gracing her lips.

"Tonks likes him!" Mary stage whispered.

"Oooh! Is that so?" Mark asked, looking very interested. Even Zakarius looked mildly interested.

Tonks blushed from all the attention and the current topic. "Of course I like him, he's a good friend!" Tonks replied before sending a glare towards a grinning Mary.

Mary and the others exchanged looks that made Tonks groan inwardly. She would be facing a lot of teasing in the near future. She vowed to get Mary back for selling her out. It's time to sharpen her rusty pranking skills once more! Almost unconsciously, a devious smile formed on her lips that made everyone gulp nervously.

"Alright everyone, let's get something to eat!" Zakarius said, showing an unusual amount of perceptiveness.

The group, except Mary, dispersed, eager to put some distance between themselves and Tonks.

"This means war, you know that right?" Tonks asked, grinning deviously at Mary.

"Hey, I was only teasing" Mary protested nervously. "Besides, you do like him!" she added, grinning at Tonks. 'I am going to be pranked either way, might as well have some more fun!' Mary mused.

"As I said before, I like him because he is a good friend!" Tonks retorted.

"Do you moan all your friends' names in your sleep, because if that's the case then it's just…EWW!" Mary shuddered, making a disgusted face.

"W-WHAT! I-I do not moan Drake's name in my sleep!" Tonks sputtered, her face resembling a ripe tomato.

"'Oh, Drake…a little lower…yesss, right there…harder…faster…'" Mary deadpanned. Tonks' face was now so red that Mary could literally feel the heat emanating from it.

Mary was inwardly laughing herself silly at the sight of Tonks' face and decided to deliver the punchline. "By the way, what was that strange smell I smelled in the morning?" Mary asked innocently.

Mary burst out laughing as Tonks' brain finally overloaded and she did the only thing a girl could do in a situation like that. She fainted!

Unbeknownst to them, a person stood in the shadows watching the entire spectacle. He was playing with a glass and had a malicious smirk on his face. "Enjoy your dreams about your precious Drake while you still can because very soon the only name you'll be moaning will be mine!"

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away a boy of around 17 sat in a rickety old chair, his nose buried in a book. A little distance away, a raven haired kid with a scar on his forehead, sat in a meditative posture on his bed. His hands were outstretched in front of him, his palms cupped and facing each other. A small ball of light hovered in between his palms. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face, his eyes closed and brows scrunched in fierce concentration.

"That's enough for today!" Drake spoke up, still engrossed with his book.

Harry let out a breath and slowly opened his eyes, allowing the ball of energy to gradually dissipate.

"It's only been an hour, I could've still gone on a few more minutes!" Harry said, slightly out of breath.

"I know, but there's no need to push it. You are new to this technique, take your time." Drake said absently.

"But I need to be prepared for the next time I face Snake-Face!" Harry retorted.

"And you will be, but overstraining yourself or hurrying through the training won't get you prepared; most likely it will drain you of all your energy and in the worst case, get you killed." Drake said firmly.

Harry's eyes widened in shock on hearing the repercussions but recovered quickly. "So when are we going to learn to form those shields and weapons that you showed?" he asked excitedly.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold your horses!" Drake exclaimed. "You have only just learned to crawl and you are already thinking of running!"

Harry pouted. "So when do you think I'm gonna be ready for _those_?"

Drake tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Let me see, at the current rate…in about two years!"

Harry gasped. "That long?"

"It's not called a Forbidden Technique for nothing you know!" Drake said dryly.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Just wanted to do something new and interesting, that's all! I am bored!" Harry muttered, morosely looking towards the open window.

Drake's face softened. "Still no letters, huh?"

"Nope!" Harry sighed.

"Maybe your friends are abroad or something, you did say something about Hermione going to France." Drake said placatingly.

"Italy actually, but what about the rest? They can't all be abroad! I know for a fact that Ron isn't." Harry retorted. "You sure that Dumbledore didn't mess with the wards?"

"Yup, I checked them only yesterday." Drake replied.

"That's good!" Harry mumbled. Drake watched sadly as Harry sat brooding in silence before engrossing himself in his book.

"How's your research going?" Harry asked after a few moments.

Drake closed the book and ran his hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "I'm getting more confused by the day! Whoever said that the working of the female mind is impossible to decipher sure wasn't kidding!"

Harry snickered. "I still feel that you should just go and tell her. Quit dawdling around!"

"Yeah, I think I will…eventually! Anyway, I better get going!" Drake said as he stood up and popped his sore back.

"So early? It's only midday, and isn't today your day off?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but I have some special shopping to do" Drake winked before Flashing away.

"Yeah, whatever!" Harry scoffed at the empty room, rolling his eyes.

Drake reappeared in a narrow alleyway, some distance away from Privet Drive. He made his way out of it and grinned giddily as his eyes caught the sight of his destination. That destination was in fact a small bookshop named Bookworm. However it was small only in size; its collection of books could give the local library a run for its money.

Drake had discovered this gem of a shop sometime ago when he was desperately looking for some study material for his research which pertained to the working of a female mind in pursuit of some romantic interest.

It had all started a few months back when he started having some weird feelings when around a bubbly pink haired woman. It was a strange mixture of warmth, happiness, possessiveness and the occasional jealousness. He felt warmth and happiness just being around Tonks, a feeling that he liked so much that he had surprised both himself and Tonks by voluntarily offering to accompany her on her shopping trip, something he previously hated with a passion. Also when walking beside her, he often felt a strong urge to hold those soft and fragile looking hands of her; a misconception since he knew that those hands packed quite a mean punch.

Drake felt a sense of anger and possessiveness when men so much as glanced at her in the wrong way, something which happened quite frequently. Tonks was quite easy on the eyes (read, extremely beautiful in Drake's eyes) with her bubbly, cheerful and flirtatious personality along with a slim, toned and well proportioned figure; her love for outrageous colors just added to her charm. The fact that Drake knew how much Tonks has suffered in the past because of her Metamorphagus abilities only fueled his anger and sense of protectiveness.

These feelings confused him and Drake didn't like to be confused. He had to find an answer, a meaning behind the feelings and most importantly, a name for the feelings. But how? Whom to ask? His first choice was Eli but she was currently out of reach. The next favorable candidate was Jasmine but he didn't know where she lived and believed that waltzing into the Auror Academy to ask for relationship advice was a bad idea.

The last option was someone he wanted to avoid asking, not because he didn't think that the person won't be able to answer his queries, but mainly because that the person was rarely serious about anything, was a notorious gossip and in his opinion, a teensy bit touched in the head. But it turned out that Tom could be serious when he wanted to be. He had patiently listened as he rambled about his jumbled up feelings for Tonks. Drake had of course left out the parts about how he traced the curves of her body with his eyes during their joint workout sessions or how he often wondered what those pink lips of her tasted like or how he would be secretly disappointed when they would answer negatively to people's assumptions of them dating, because he felt that if given these details, Tom would revert back to his usual gossiping self.

Tom's answer had both excited and scared him. Was he really falling for Tonks? Sure he was attracted to her, that was obvious…but love? And if it was indeed love that he was experiencing, was it even mutual? Tom had said that the only way to know for sure is to tell her and then hope for the best. Not very reassuring, in Drake's opinion.

So in a bid to get a measure of understanding about Tonks feelings for him, he turned to his most trusted advisor since childhood, books. He had scoured Diagon Alley for reading material, namely romantic novels but most of them turned out to be so fantastical that he was hesitant in believing them. In desperation he turned to the Muggle world and it was during this search that he came across Bookworm.

A bell tinkled as Drake entered the shop.

"Hey Bob, how's it going?" Drake greeted the middle-aged owner, Bob Macmillon. It turned out that Bob loved books as much as he did and as a result they had clicked almost instantly. Of course, the fact that Drake had bought nearly the entire collection of romance novels owned by Bob had nothing to do with it!

Bob looked up from whatever he was doing and smiled warmly at his favorite customer. "Marvelous! A new batch of novels has arrived just today. They are down the aisle!"

Drake laughed. "You read my mind!"

Drake browsed through the books and found a few that caught his attention.

"Figured her out yet?" Bob asked as Drake dumped around half a dozen books on the counter. Drake had shared with Bob the reason behind his voracious appetite for romance novels.

"Nah! Getting more confused by the day!" Drake sighed. Tonks' flirtatious nature really made it difficult to understand if she was serious about him or not.

"You should just bite the bullet!"

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately!" Drake muttered, thinking about Harry. "Well, I still have around four months to think on it! Anyway, I have given up on the research."

"So what are these books for?" Bob asked curiously.

"The pleasure of reading good literary work!" Drake grinned.

Drake paid for his books and bid Bob goodbye. He returned to the alleyway where he had previously appeared and Flashed away.

High above in the sky a brown colored owl flew towards Privet Drive carrying an official looking letter.

* * *

'_Flowers?'_

"Check!"

'_Gift?'_

"Check!"

'_Feeling excited and happy?'_

"Check!"

'_Feeling nervous?'_

"Check!" Damn!

The large 5-storey building in front of him looked just as mundane as the rest of them scattered all over London. But Drake knew better! This particular building was special, at least one of its occupants was. The said occupant was notorious for her catastrophic cooking skills, ruthless pranks, not to mention the unnatural love for the color pink! But what made this person really special was that she was Drake's best friend and also the person he was currently contemplating on asking out on a date. Oh, and she was also a newly minted Auror!

So here was Drake standing nervously outside the apartment complex contemplating his next move. He had meticulously planned for this day for over a month. Yep, if he closed his eyes he could still picture it perfectly…

Tonks coming to the Leaky Cauldron on her first day back, ecstatic on finally being an Auror…he congratulating her and giving her a hug and her present…taking her to his room and then asking her out on a date…Tonks agreeing and giving him his first kiss…

But his plans had gone down the drain when Tonks did not show up on her first day back. At first he had not thought much of it, merely assuming that she must be very tired. However, he began to get a little nervous and restless when she failed to show up even the next day. All his earlier doubts and insecurities had begun to creep back to the forefront of his mind and were slowly eating away at his confidence. So on the third day Drake decided to take matters into his own hand before his confidence completely evaporated and go visit Tonks. He may have lost the home ground advantage but firmly believed that he still had a chance of winning the war, even if he now had to fight it out in unknown territory.

'Well not that unknown!' Drake corrected himself.

It was not that he hadn't come here before. He had been here the day Tonks had moved in, helping her with the unpacking and other stuff. They had later celebrated Tonks' new freedom over a bottle of Firewhiskey and Tonks had gotten herself drunk…again! He had again tucked her into bed and it was at that moment that he noticed how beautiful and serene Tonks looked. Her cheeks were a magnificent shade of red from drinking and her soft pink lips were slightly parted in a cute smile. At that moment Drake felt an ache in his heart, a longing that he had been feeling for a while, only this time it was much, much stronger. The urge to hold her, to kiss her was so strong that he had to beat a hasty retreat lest he did something inappropriate. Although he did manage to steal a kiss on the forehead before he left.

Drake blinked. He had subconsciously reached Tonks' apartment and had been standing outside her door lost in his thoughts for who knows how long. Patting himself mentally on the back to reassure himself that everything will go smoothly, Drake knocked on the door…once, twice, thrice!

No answer!

Drake frowned slightly. 'Maybe she's not at home' he thought. Sighing in disappointment, Drake was about to leave thinking of trying his luck again tomorrow when the door opened.

"About time you…." Drake trailed off at the sight that greeted him. He blinked…once, twice, thrice. He then blushed. Heavily! There framed against the doorway stood Tonks dressed only in extremely _short_ shorts and an oversized bedshirt that hung loosely around her shoulders and seemed to have been put on rather hastily. Add to that was the fact Tonks' face had a slight sheen of sweat on it and under the dim corridor lights, gave her face a soft glow.

"H-Hi!" Drake stuttered nervously.

"Hi!" Tonks smiled, a slight pink tinge appearing on her cheeks.

Drake coughed slightly to clear his throat which suddenly felt parched. "Can I come in?"

"Umm, sure!" Tonks said hesitatingly. Drake, being too nervous and embarrassed, failed to notice it.

Tonks led Drake to the living room. "So what brought you here?" Tonks asked Drake, taking a seat across from him.

"Well you didn't drop by at the pub since you returned…and well, I was getting a little worried…so I thought that maybe I should check up on you."

"Oh sorry about that but I have been…busy." Tonks stated nonchalantly.

Drake frowned. Tonks was acting a little weird. For the moment he put that at the back of his mind, he had more important matters to attend to!

"Congratulations on becoming an Auror. Here, this is for you Tonks…or should I say, Auror Tonks?"Drake grinned as he held out her gift.

"Thanks! What is it?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Open it!" Drake urged.

Tonks peeled away the wrappings to reveal a thin, long, medium-sized box. Her eyes widened in awe as she took off the lid to reveal the most magnificent wand holster she had ever seen. It had intricate ornate carvings on it, running along its entire length. Looking closely she realized that the carvings were actually minute runic patterns.

"Wow…!" Tonks breathed.

"You like it?" Drake asked eagerly. Drake had put a lot of effort in preparing that holster. He had bought an ordinary holster and added charms and runic inscriptions of his own to make the holster one of a kind. It had all the standard charms like Anti-Slip, Anti-Disarming, etc, etc, but what made the holster unique was that it allowed the wand in it to appear instantly in its owner's hand with just a thought as long as the holster was within hundred meters of the owner.

"Are you crazy? I love it!" Tonks beamed and hugged Drake enthusiastically.

Drake laughed nervously at the proximity as he hugged her back. "Hehe, anything for you!"

They sat back down and Tonks began to test out the holster, a giddy expression on her face.

"Hmm, fits perfectly!" Tonks exclaimed.

Drake nodded absently. He was busy drinking in her features and every facial expression as she enthusiastically sprouted every feature she unraveled. She had a giddy, almost delighted expression on her face. She looked like a child who had just been given his favorite toy. Drake's heart almost melted at her unrestrained joy and beautiful smile that lit up her face. Outwardly he stared at Tonks with a soft smile on his face, inwardly, however he was busy having a heated argument with his mental counterpart.

'_Tell her!'_

'No! Now's not the right time'

'_Why not? She's going ga-ga over your present, now's the perfect time!'_

'I-I don't know! I don't feel like it!'

'_Coward!'_

'I AM NOT A COWARD! Okay, maybe I am…a little!' Drake thought meekly.

'_What are you afraid of exactly?'_

'Like you don't know!' Drake retorted. 'You are a part of me after all!'

'_Yeah…and I regret that every minute!'_

'What?!'

'_Now quit stalling and just ask her out already!'_

"Drake!"

'No.'

'_You will never know the answer if you don't ask, you know?'_

"Drake!"

'Hmm…'

'_Come on big guy, ask her!'_

"DRAKE!"

"Willyougooutonadatewithme?" Drake blurted out, then blushed on realizing what he had just said.

"What?" Tonks asked, confused.

Drake took a deep breath to calm his nerves. 'Here goes nothing!' "Tonks, will you go out on a date with me?" Drake asked calmly and held out the bouquet of flowers.

Tonks sat frozen in her seat, trying to comprehend what Drake just said. Drake was waiting anxiously for her answer. He was unable to decipher anything from her facial expressions. 'Hmm, looks like Moody's training had given her the perfect poker face.' With each passing second of silence Drake's hopes were getting more and more dashed.

'She's going to reject!'

'_No, she's not!'_

'Is too!'

'_Is not!'_

"I…am sorry Drake, but I am already seeing someone. Besides I have never seen you in that way. I like you, but only as a friend. I…am sorry!" Tonks said sadly.

'Ya! I told you she's gonna reject me!' Drake yelled mentally, having won the argument against his stubborn mental counterpart, but for once, he didn't feel happy about that at all. He learnt an important lesson of life at that moment; rejection, no matter how expected, hurts…like hell!

"Oh…i-it's ok. N-nothing to be sorry about!" Drake said dismissively, his voice quivering slightly. "We are still friends right?"

"Of course!" Tonks smiled brightly.

Drake smiled. "Ok, I should be on my way. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure!"

Tonks closed the door after Drake left with a final wave. As she returned to the living room, her eyes fell on the flowers that Drake had brought with him and forgotten on the table. She suddenly gasped as a strange feeling of desperation and loss washed over her. Her fists clenched unconsciously.

"For a moment I thought you were going to take up his offer!" a voice said from behind her.

Tonks turned around and kissed the owner of the voice. "Silly man! You know I have never felt that way about him. I love only you, Eddie!" She said embracing him. Her body relaxed and the previous feeling remained only as a vague memory.

"Of course!" Eddie said. 'And you will only love me…forever!' Eddie smirked, eying the bunch of pink roses on the table.

* * *

_**A/N: I am finally back with another chapter! Phew! **_

_**Ok, the Flashing away mentioned in this chapter is similar to Instant Transmission technique that Goku uses in DBZ but prefer to call it 'Distortion Flash' because it felt more appropriate!**_

_**Also, don't forget to check out my newest story which is actually a sequel to this…weird, huh! The story is called 'The Guardians of the Eternal Phoenix: Wolf Calling!'. It's a multi-crossover fic! Check my profile for the link!**_

_**Enjoy!**_


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